Fire-Making By Human Ancestors In Europe Traced Back To 800,000 Years Ago

The remains of charred bone and burnt rocks found in a cave located in Spain's south east region might be the earliest proof of human ancestors making fire in Europe. The scorched remnants were reportedly discovered at Cueva Negra, and believed to be more than 800,000 years old. Archaeologists have pointed out that the evidence of the charred remains may point out to prehumans, or prehistoric members of the Homo species, using fires in a controlled manner for cooking as long as one million years ago.  

As per a research, nearly 165 scorched stone artifacts and approximately 2,300 charred animal bone fragments were uncovered in the Spanish cave in 2011. Subsequent chemical and microscopic observation of the burnt remnants found that they had to be consistently burnt at 400° to 600° Celsius to achieve the scorched state, furthermore only fire could have had such an effect on the objects.

The researching team of scientists also expressed doubts about accidental fires, like those possibly created by brush-fire sparks near the entrance of the cave, leading to the fire found inside the cueva. Furthermore, as per the scientists, geologic evidence suggests that dry brush didn't grow in the first place anywhere near the cave because the area was located close to a swamp and a river 800.000 years ago.

The early humans who inhabited the cave also left behind a wide array of tools that show evidence of quite developed technical skills. According to the researchers, those who lived in Cueva Negra 800,000 years ago knew how to choose suitable stone or wood to strike and consequently create sparks to blaze up small tinder piles.

"Of enormous significance here, from the standpoint of human evolution, is that it implies early humans a million years ago had lost the fear of fire that causes other animals to flea before it," said Dr Michael walker, lead researcher. "It implies an evolution of human cognitive awareness far beyond that of the great apes of the African jungles, or even the two-legged Australopithecine hominids of between four and two million years ago in Africa".