The study, published this week in Nature, describes the artefacts, found at Barnham in Suffolk, which date to about 400,000 years ago and include scorched earth, fire-cracked flint hand-axes, and two fragments of iron pyrite, a mineral that can produce sparks when struck with flint.
The presence of pyrite is significant as it is a mineral not commonly found in the area, suggesting that early humans carried it to the site deliberately.
In later prehistoric periods, pyrite was used to ignite fires by striking it with flint to create sparks. Its presence at Barnham suggests that this technology may have emerged much earlier than previously thought, possibly from neanderthals that lived in the region at that time or another species of early humans.
According to co-author Simon Parfitt (Principal Research Fellow):
This discovery gives us a rare window into a moment when early humans were not just using fire, but had begun to understand and control it. This discovery highlights the ingenuity and skill involved in mastering fire, a game-changing moment in human evolution.”
At the Barnham site, the team discovered sediments with geochemical signals that indicated fires were repeatedly lit in the same spot, as well as imported pieces of pyrite and clusters of flint that also showed evidence of being exposed to heat. Together, the artefacts point to their combined use in creating and controlling fire.
This access to fire on demand would have allowed early humans to cook meat more reliably, thereby improving its digestibility and energy intake. This, researchers say, may have supported the expansion of the human brain.
According to lead author Nick Ashton (British Museum & Honorary Professor, UCL):
This is the most remarkable discovery of my career, and I’m very proud of the teamwork that it has taken to reach this groundbreaking conclusion. It’s incredible that some of the oldest groups of Neanderthals had the knowledge of the properties of flint, pyrite and tinder at such an early date.”
The Pathways to Ancient Britain Project (PAB) is a collaboration between the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, Queen Mary University of London and UCL, and is funded by the Calleva Foundation. It has focused on three chronological periods of human presence in the British Isles, from the earliest occupation through to the extinction of the Neanderthals and the emergence of modern humans.
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Images: Archaeological excavations of the deeply-buried 400,000-year-old site at Barnham and artefacts found. Credit: Pathways to Ancient Britain Project and Jordan Mansfield
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