Humans were making fire 350,000 years earlier than thought

Humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, research suggests, after the discovery in the UK of ancient axes created using flames.

The find, at a disused clay pit near Barnham, in west Suffolk, indicates humans were making fire 350,000 years earlier than previously known. Before this discovery, the oldest known evidence of fire-making was from 50,000 years ago in northern France.

Fire-cracked flint hand axes and heated sediments were found at the Barnham site alongside two fragments of iron pyrite – a mineral used to strike sparks with flint. Geological studies indicate that pyrite is rare in the area, suggesting it was brought to the site deliberately for fire-making.

Excavations of 400,000-year-old pond sediments at Barnham, Suffolk, which led to the discovery of new evidence of fire-making by humans. AP

It took four years for a team, led by researchers at the British Museum, to demonstrate that the heated clay was not caused by wildfire.

Geochemical tests indicated repeated fires at the same site, more typical of human use than wildfires. The controlled use of fire had “profound effects on human evolution”, say the study’s authors, increasing survival in harsh environments through warmth and protection from predators.

Other benefits included cooking – widening the range of foods that could be safely eaten – and the creation of lit spaces that became focal points for social interaction.

Dr Rob Davis, project curator of Pathways to Ancient Britain at the British Museum, said the hearth area was about “half a metre in diameter, sort of a small campfire”.

Prof Chris Stringer, of the Natural History Museum, said it is thought that the fires at Barnham were being made by early Neanderthals.