Barnham: The earliest known evidence of fire-making by humans has been discovered in the United Kingdom and dates back more than 400,000 years, research found. The discovery at a disused clay pit near Barnham, Suffolk, between Thetford and Bury St Edmunds, suggests that humans were making fire 350,000 years earlier than previously known.
According to Emirates News Agency, the find includes fire-cracked flint hand axes and heated sediments at the Barnham site, along with two fragments of iron pyrite-a mineral used to strike sparks with flint. Geological studies indicated that pyrite is rare in the area, suggesting it was brought deliberately to the site for fire-making purposes.
A team led by researchers at the British Museum spent four years demonstrating that the heated clay was not caused by wildfire. Geochemical tests indicated repeated fire use at the same site, which is more typical of human activity than wildfires. The controlled use of fire had significant effects on human evolution, increasing survival in harsh environments through warmth and protection from predators.
The study's authors highlighted other benefits of fire use, such as cooking, which expanded the variety of edible foods, and creating lit spaces that served as focal points for social interaction. Rob Davis, Project Curator: Pathways to Ancient Britain at the British Museum, described the hearth area as a "small campfire" about half a meter in diameter.
Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum suggested that early Neanderthal people might have been responsible for making the fires at Barnham, although their exact identity is not known. He emphasized that the knowledge of fire-making likely originated from continental Europe, as there was a land bridge at the time.
Stringer remarked on the significance of the discovery, stating, "I think having this information that it was there 400,000 years ago really means we've got a key aspect, a crucial aspect in human evolution." The findings are detailed in the paper "Earliest Evidence of Making Fire," published in the journal Nature.