400,000-Year-Old Fire Evidence Shakes Archaeology

Neanderthals: The First Innovators of Fire Technology

New evidence from an archaeological site in England suggests that Neanderthals were the world's first innovators of fire technology. Tiny specks of pyrite found at a site in Suffolk, which dates back more than 400,000 years, indicate that these early humans had mastered the use of fire long before previously believed. This discovery not only pushes back the timeline for controlled fire-making but also hints that key developments in human brain evolution may have occurred much earlier than previously thought.

Rob Davis, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the British Museum and co-author of the study, emphasized the importance of fire in shaping human history. "The ability to make fire would have been critically important" in human evolution, he said during a news conference. He added that fire likely accelerated evolutionary trends such as developing larger brains, maintaining larger social groups, and increasing language skills.

Since 2013, Davis and his colleagues have been excavating a site called Barnham in England. This site has yielded stone tools, burnt sediment, and charcoal dating back 400,000 years. In a study published in the journal Nature, the researchers revealed that the site contains the earliest direct evidence of fire-making, suggesting that Neanderthals may have pioneered this technology.

A Big Turning Point

Barnham was first recognized as a Paleolithic human site in the early 1900s due to the presence of stone tools. However, recent excavations uncovered evidence of ancient human groups occupying the area more than 415,000 years ago. At that time, Barnham was a small, seasonal watering hole in a woodland depression.

Archaeologists discovered a concentration of heat-shattered hand axes and a zone of reddened clay. Scientific analyses showed that the reddened clay had been subjected to repeated, localized burning, indicating that the area may have been an ancient hearth.

Nick Ashton, a curator at the British Museum and co-author of the study, highlighted the significance of the discovery of iron pyrite. Pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is a mineral that can produce sparks when struck against flint. While it is found in many parts of the world, it is extremely rare in the Barnham area, suggesting that someone brought it to the site specifically for making fire.

Humans' Use of Fire

The use of fire by early humans has long been a topic of debate among paleoanthropologists. April Nowell, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the University of Victoria in Canada, noted the many advantages of fire, including cooking, protection from predators, and its role in creating new types of artifacts. She also pointed out the emotional resonance of fire, citing the universal experience of gathering around a campfire.

Researchers believe that early humans first used wildfires for cooking food. This was a crucial step in human evolution because cooking expanded the range of available food and made it more digestible, providing more nutrients needed for brain growth, according to Davis.

However, there is limited evidence for deliberate fire technology, and much of it is ambiguous. For example, reddened sediment found at Koobi Fora in Kenya, dated to about 1.5 million years ago, may hint at early fire use. Similarly, burnt animal bones and stone tools at sites in Israel suggest possible control of fire by early human ancestors.

Fire technology then became more widespread around 400,000 years ago, with evidence of burning found at cave sites across Europe. But the Barnham discovery offers the most conclusive geochemical evidence of fire-making to date, according to Ashton.

Neanderthals Are "Fully Human"

Despite the significance of the findings, no bones have been found at Barnham, so the "smoking gun" of butchered and burned animal bones that could prove the site was used for cooking has not been discovered. Similarly, there are no skeletal remains of the individuals who made the fires.

Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the National History Museum in London, believes the fires at Barnham were likely made by early Neanderthals. This assumption is based on a nearby site called Swanscombe, where Neanderthal skull bones were found that date to the same time period as Barnham.

While experts have known for about a decade that some Neanderthals could make fire, previous evidence only goes back 50,000 years. The Barnham finds push this date back 350,000 years, suggesting that Neanderthals were far more intelligent than commonly believed.

Stringer emphasized that Neanderthals "are fully human," noting their complex behavior, adaptability, and large brains. Nowell added that the study contributes to the ongoing debate about Neanderthals' control of fire and its social and cultural uses.

Who Made Fire First?

If the researchers are correct that Neanderthals made fire from flint and pyrite more than 400,000 years ago in England, this raises new questions. Nowell asked whether fire use became a regular part of human behavior or if early humans relied on opportunistic use of wildfires and lightning strikes.

At that time, the ancestors of Homo sapiens were living in Africa, and it is unclear whether they had the ability to make fire. Stringer noted that there is currently no clear evidence of controlled fire use any earlier than the Barnham site.

This means that Neanderthals may have invented ways to make and control fire in continental Europe, enabling them to move further north into England. It is plausible that fire became more controlled in Europe and eventually spread to Africa, according to Ashton.

As the debate continues, the Barnham discovery offers valuable insights into the cognitive and technological capabilities of Neanderthals and their role in shaping human history.