A groundbreaking study published in the journal Nature has unveiled the oldest-known evidence of fire-making, dating back approximately 400,000 years. That isn’t so remarkable as what Professor Ashton and his team of researchers discovered—remarkably—not far from the shores of home East Farm in Barnham, Suffolk. This incredible discovery extends the timeline for the earliest humans to use fire by several hundred thousand years, well beyond the previous oldest known record of 50,000 years for Neanderthals in Northern France.
Let me be clear – these findings are a big deal. Together, they emphasize the breadth of ecologically-mediated behaviors of early hominins, long before modern humans emerged. The research team examined 26 sites and identified over 121,000 stones, revealing a wealth of information about ancient fire usage and its implications for human evolution. The lack of pyrite is noteworthy, too. This mineral is most often associated with pyrotechnology, indicating that these early peoples employed a much more advanced technique for starting fires.
Discovery at East Farm
The East Farm excavation site has been an important archaeological site since the early 1900s. Meaningful archaeology really started in the early 1990s. This time, Professor Ashton narrowed her focus to a very small section of ancient soil that had been exposed in 2019. That decision proved to be a crucial one.
“I decided to investigate a small area of ancient soil that had been fleetingly exposed in 2019,” – Professor Ashton
Once they uncovered the area of reddened clay, Professor Ashton began to suspect that this could be evidence of heating. His words conveyed an important mix of caution and excitement at the potential importance of the discovery.
“When the reddened clay was exposed, I knew from previous experience that this could indicate heating of the clay. It was a moment of caution, but also great excitement.” – Professor Ashton
Tests performed on the site showed temperatures as high as 300 degrees. The region had temperatures over 700 °C for several days. These distinct patterns indicate an intentional and even systematic use of fire, not random occurrences.
Implications for Early Hominins
The implications of this finding reach far beyond just proving a slightly earlier date of fire use. Further, it begs the question – what species was starting all of these fires? Professor Ashton argues that early Neanderthals likely perfected the craft of starting fires around this period. By then, Homo sapiens hadn’t even evolved yet.
“This is supported by the concentration of heat-shattered hand axes around the campfire, providing a direct link with humans,” – Professor Ashton
Homo sapiens didn’t depart Africa until 300,000 years later. It means, of course, that fire would have been experienced by Neanderthals as the dominant hominins of that time. Dr. Langley takes us deeper into the questions and challenges regarding how and when fire was used by early Homo species.
“The problem is that you’ve got a few different types of Homo around, and we’re still trying to work out who’s who and where in that period.” – Dr. Langley
Dr. Langley provides important nuance to the discovery that makes it sound epic and revolutionary, but not completely surprising.
“While 400,000 years is pretty old it’s not older than some of the sites that have habitual use of fire,” – Dr. Langley
Challenges in Archaeological Research
The difficulties involved in learning about early fire use are considerable. Dr. Langley points out that determining when humans began using fire—and when they learned to make it—remains a complex issue in archaeology.
“It’s very difficult to work out when people are using fire and it’s just as difficult to work out when they’re making it,” – Dr. Langley
He argues that sample size is key in archaeological discoveries. Fennell explains that if fire-making was only done every few years, the evidence would remain elusive.
“It’s a sample size … if it’s only happening very occasionally we’re probably not going to find it,” – Dr. Langley
Even with all the challenges, the research team is hopeful. The team believes this discovery democratized our understanding of human evolution and cultural development.
“This is the oldest evidence so far, but it almost certainly is not the first,” – Professor Ashton
