UK discovery reveals 400,000-year-old traces of man-made fire, pushing back humans’ use of fire by a large margin | WPN World People News

New evidence unearthed at the Barnham site in Suffolk, England, has overturned a long-standing consensus in human evolutionary history. A British archaeological team discovered multiple artifacts that had been exposed to high temperatures, demonstrating that as early as about 400,000 years ago, ancient humans were already capable of deliberately making fire—nearly 350,000 years earlier than the commonly accepted date. The findings were published in the journal Nature, drawing significant international academic attention.

The study, conducted jointly by the British Museum and several research institutions, reports that the excavated items include a piece of clay clearly baked by fire, a flint hand axe that had fractured under intense heat, and two fragments of pyrite with properties suitable for fire-starting. Pyrite can produce sparks when struck against flint, and since this mineral is not naturally found in the area, it suggests that its users likely understood its characteristics and intentionally transported it from elsewhere.

After years of analyzing sediment composition and burn marks, the research team confirmed that the fire traces found at the site were not caused by lightning, natural wildfires, or other accidental events, but instead came from a repeatedly used controlled hearth. Materials in the layers had been exposed to temperatures exceeding 700°C and showed cumulative evidence of multiple heating episodes, consistent with deliberate fire management.

Archaeologists note that this evidence is highly likely connected to early Neanderthals. According to fossil data from Britain and Spain from the same period, the inhabitants of the region exhibited cranial and genetic traits indicating advanced technical skills and cognitive abilities—far beyond previous assumptions about human populations of that time.

For decades, determining “when humans first learned to make fire” has been one of the greatest challenges in Paleolithic research. Fire traces are extremely difficult to preserve: ash easily disperses, charcoal decomposes, and heat-altered sediments can erode. Thus, discovering well-preserved burn evidence in wetland deposits is exceptionally rare in archaeology.

Mastering fire not only helped early humans survive cold climates and repel predators, but also made cooking possible. Cooking eliminates bacteria in meat, breaks down plant toxins, and increases caloric absorption—factors believed to be crucial drivers in meeting rising energy needs and supporting brain evolution. The team also points out that hearths were likely central to early social behavior; scenes of people gathering for warmth, sharing food, and exchanging knowledge may well have been the birthplace of language and storytelling.

British Museum researcher Nick Ashton described the discovery as the most astonishing achievement of his decades-long archaeological career. Another team member, archaeologist Simon Davies, emphasized that these artifacts not only rewrite human history but also offer a glimpse into how ancient groups survived harsh environments and gradually expanded into more northern regions.

This groundbreaking research provides a new perspective on the origins of human behavior, suggesting that the ability to control fire may have emerged much earlier than previously believed—and that its impact on human evolution is far more profound than once imagined.