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Earliest evidence of making fire.
Rob Davis1, Marcus Hatch2, Sally Hoare3
1Department Britain, Europe and Prehistory, British Museum, London, UK.
Nature
|December 10, 2025
Summary
Evidence suggests early humans were making fire 400,000 years ago. This technological advancement, using minerals like pyrite, offered significant adaptive benefits, including cooked food for hominin evolution.
Area of Science:
- Archaeology
- Paleoanthropology
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Fire use is a key human innovation impacting evolution, providing warmth, protection, and social focal points.
- The evolution of fire use progressed from natural fire harvesting to deliberate fire-making over a million years.
- Distinguishing natural from anthropogenic burning and finding unequivocal evidence of fire-making has been challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present evidence of deliberate fire-making at a 400,000-year-old archaeological site.
- To identify the methods and materials used in early fire-making.
Main Methods:
- Excavation of a 400,000-year-old buried landsurface at Barnham, UK.
- Analysis of heated sediments and fire-cracked flint handaxes.
- Geological assessment of mineral distribution (iron pyrite) at the site.
Main Results:
- Discovery of heated sediments and fire-cracked flint handaxes.
- Identification of iron pyrite fragments, a mineral used for striking sparks.
- Geological evidence indicating pyrite was deliberately brought to the site.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide unequivocal evidence of fire-making capabilities 400,000 years ago.
- Deliberate fire-making offered significant adaptive benefits, including enhanced food digestibility and energy availability.
- This technological advancement may have played a crucial role in hominin brain evolution.
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