Ancient Humans Mastered Fire 400,000 Years Ago, British Scientists Reveal

British scientists have discovered evidence of deliberate fire-making in eastern England around 400,000 years ago. This finding suggests humans mastered fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought. The Barnham site shows advanced cognitive and social development, with implications for human evolution and societal behaviors.

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists in Britain have found evidence that ancient humans might have learned to make fire far earlier than previously believed. This revelation arises from uncovering signs of deliberate fire-setting at a site in eastern England dating back 400,000 years.

This pivotal find, detailed in the journal Nature, shifts the timeline for the earliest known controlled fire-making by around 350,000 years earlier than was recorded from Neanderthal sites in northern France, which date back roughly 50,000 years.

Research conducted at the Paleolithic Barnham site led by the British Museum unveiled baked clay patches and flint hand axes affected by intense heat, reinforcing the notion of controlled fire-use. The presence of iron pyrite, a mineral used to ignite tinder, further supports the idea of deliberate fire-making, indicating substantial impacts on the evolution and social structures of early humans.

(With inputs from agencies.)