UK discovery pushes back evidence of human fire-making by 350,000 years

A groundbreaking new discovery in the UK has pushed back the earliest known evidence of human fire-making by a staggering 350,000 years. Researchers have uncovered fire-cracked flint, hand axes, and heated sediments at a disused clay pit near Barnham, Suffolk, dating back over 400,000 years. This discovery shatters the previous record of 50,000 years ago, which was thought to be the earliest evidence of fire-making in northern France.

The site, located between Thetford and Bury St Edmunds, also yielded two fragments of iron pyrite—a spark-striking mineral—which researchers believe were deliberately transported to the site for fire production. Geological studies have confirmed the rarity of pyrite in the area, further supporting the theory that it was deliberately moved to aid in fire-making, The Independent writes.

It took four years of meticulous research by a team led by the British Museum to confirm that the heated clay at Barnham was not the result of a wildfire. Geochemical tests revealed evidence of repeated fire use, a pattern more consistent with human activity than natural fires.

The implications of this discovery are profound. The controlled use of fire would have had a major impact on human evolution, providing warmth, protection from predators, and a means to cook food—greatly expanding the range of safe-to-eat foods. Fire also likely created focal points for social interaction, fostering communication and collaboration within groups.

Dr. Rob Davis, Project Curator of Pathways to Ancient Britain at the British Museum, described the hearth area at Barnham as "about half a metre in diameter, sort of a small campfire."

Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum suggested that the fires at Barnham were likely made by early Neanderthals, although their exact identity remains unclear.

"Around this time period, brain size was increasing to its present levels," said Professor Stringer. "There’s no doubt that our brains are energetically expensive. They use about 20 percent of our body energy, so having the use of fire, having the ability to make fire, is going to help release nutrition from the food, which will help to fuel that brain, help to run it, and indeed allow the evolution of a bigger brain."

Professor Stringer also noted the possibility that fire-making knowledge was brought to Britain from continental Europe.

"We assume that the people who made the fire at Barnham brought the knowledge with them from continental Europe," he said. "There was a land bridge there. There had been a major cold stage about 450,000 years ago which had probably wiped out everyone in Britain and then Britain had to be repopulated all over again."

The ability to control fire would have been particularly advantageous during colder periods. 

Professor Nick Ashton, Curator of Palaeolithic Collections at the British Museum, called the discovery "the most exciting discovery of my 40-year career."

The study, titled Earliest Evidence of Making Fire, has been published in the journal Nature, offering a fresh perspective on one of humanity’s most significant evolutionary milestones.

By Sabina Mammadli