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Ancient Humans Mastered Fire Far Earlier Than Thought, UK Discovery Reveals
LONDON, UK – New evidence unearthed in eastern England suggests that ancient humans were deliberately making fire a staggering 400,000 years ago, pushing back the known timeline for controlled fire-making by roughly 350,000 years. This groundbreaking discovery, detailed in the journal Nature, dramatically redefines our understanding of early human ingenuity.
Previously, the oldest confirmed evidence of controlled fire came from Neanderthal sites in northern France, dating back approximately 50,000 years. However, a team led by the British Museum at Barnham, a Paleolithic site in Suffolk under excavation for decades, has found a compelling suite of evidence pointing to much earlier fire use.
The key findings at Barnham include a patch of baked clay, flint hand axes visibly fractured by intense heat, and two fragments of iron pyrite – a mineral known to produce sparks when struck against flint. Researchers spent four years meticulously analyzing the site to rule out natural wildfires.
Geochemical tests revealed temperatures exceeding 700 degrees Celsius (1,292 Fahrenheit) and, crucially, evidence of repeated burning in the same location. This pattern, scientists conclude, is consistent with a constructed hearth rather than an accidental lightning strike.
Rob Davis, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the British Museum, emphasized that the combination of high temperatures, controlled burning, and the presence of pyrite fragments clearly indicates not just the use of fire, but the intentional creation of it. The absence of iron pyrite naturally at Barnham further suggests that early inhabitants deliberately collected it, understanding its properties and how to use it to ignite tinder.
The preservation of deliberate fire-making in the archaeological record is rare, as ash disperses easily, charcoal decays, and heat-altered sediments erode. However, at Barnham, the burned deposits were sealed within ancient pond sediments, providing an unparalleled opportunity for scientists to reconstruct how early people utilized the site.
The implications of this discovery for human evolution are substantial. Fire allowed early populations to expand into colder environments, deter predators, and, critically, cook food. Cooking breaks down toxins in plants and kills pathogens in meat, leading to improved digestion and the release of more energy – a vital factor in supporting the development of larger brains.
Chris Stringer, a human evolution specialist at the Natural History Museum, noted that fossils from Britain and Spain suggest the inhabitants of Barnham were early Neanderthals whose cranial features and DNA indicate growing cognitive and technological sophistication.
Beyond survival, fire also fostered new forms of social life. Evening gatherings around a hearth would have provided opportunities for planning, storytelling, and strengthening group bonds – behaviors frequently linked to the development of language and more organized societies.
Archaeologists see the Barnham site as fitting into a broader pattern across Britain and continental Europe between 500,000 and 400,000 years ago, a period when early human brain size began to approach modern levels and evidence for increasingly complex behavior became more apparent.
Nick Ashton, curator of Paleolithic collections at the British Museum, hailed the find as “the most exciting discovery of my long 40-year career.” For archaeologists, this discovery provides a crucial answer to a long-standing question: when humans transitioned from opportunistic use of natural fires to the deliberate creation of flame on demand.