‘Most exciting discovery’: Humans controlled fire use 4 lakh years ago; scientists find evidence

Archaeologists have made a major discovery in Suffolk, England. Two small pieces of pyrite were found in an old clay pit near Barnham. This is the oldest evidence of controlled fire use by humans.

The inch-long mineral chunks show that early humans were deliberately starting fires at this spot 4 lakh years ago. This is significantly earlier than the known Neanderthal use of fire, which occurred around 50,000 years ago.

Pyrite creates sparks when struck with flint. The pieces were found with other signs of a hearth, including baked clay and two flint hand axes that had heat fractures.

Fire helped early humans cook food, which boosted brain growth, kept them warm, and facilitated the sharing of knowledge. Researchers spent four years ruling out natural causes, such as lightning.

Tests showed temperatures above 700 °C with repeated burning at the same place. It proves controlled fire use by ancient humans.

Fire use evolved slowly over a period of more than a million years. Early humans moved from using natural fire to maintaining and then creating it. Yet, proving when deliberate fire-making began is difficult because natural fires and human-made fires often leave similar traces.

The site featured heated sediments and flint handaxes, which had cracked due to extreme heat, along with two pieces of iron pyrite. This mineral is not common in the area. It was likely carried there to strike sparks with flint.

This ability to make fire would have given huge advantages. Cooking meat may have helped improve digestion and energy, which in turn supported early brain development, as well as social bonding, according to the study published in Nature.

Co-author Rob Davis told The Times: “The implications are enormous. The ability to create and control fire is one of the most important turning points in human history, with practical and social benefits that changed human evolution.”

Archaeologist Michelle Langley, who was not involved in the discovery, spoke about the importance of controlled fire use.

"If you are cooking your meat and other foods, you're getting a lot more nutrition out of it with less effort, but it also keeps away predators, so it can make us safer, provide warmth. It does make a significant difference to humanity," ABC News quoted Dr Langley as saying.