New identification technique pushes back timeline of fire use to over millenia ago, study reveals

A groundbreaking new technique for identifying ancient fires, based on the light-emitting properties of burned bone, has significantly pushed back the timeline of early human interaction with fire. The study, published in the scientific journal PNAS, suggests humans were using fire as early as 1.07 to 1.79 million years ago, extending beyond previous estimates.

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Evidence of fire from such ancient sites is often subtle and difficult to detect. Our study provides new tools for identifying traces of ancient burning and reveals that fire was repeatedly present deep inside Wonderwerk Cave.

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem employed a method where bones exposed to high heat emit a distinctive glow when illuminated with specific light wavelengths. This technique, combined with chemical analyses, allows for the identification of burned animal bones with a high degree of confidence. The study focused on fossilized bones found within owl pellets deep inside Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa, a site previously known for early human activity.

"Evidence of fire from such ancient sites is often subtle and difficult to detect," explained Prof. Kolska Horwitz of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "Our study provides new tools for identifying traces of ancient burning and reveals that fire was repeatedly present deep inside Wonderwerk Cave." The non-invasive and portable nature of this new method allows for the analysis of large fossil collections without damage.

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Because these remains accumulated naturally on the cave floor, they provide an independent, non-anthropogenic record of ancient events.

The analysis of these owl pellet remains, which accumulated naturally on the cave floor, provided an independent record of ancient events. Clear evidence of fire was found in an archaeological layer associated with Homo erectus. The location, approximately 30 meters inside the cave and protected from natural wildfires, suggests that early humans may have intentionally brought fires into the cave and maintained them, possibly using owl pellets as fuel.

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Nevertheless, bringing fire into a cave and maintaining it represents a significant behavioral achievement.

"These discoveries show that early humans were not simply passive observers of natural fires," Horwitz stated. "They were actively engaging with fire and incorporating it into their lives." This active engagement represents a significant behavioral achievement for early humans, indicating a more complex relationship with their environment than previously understood.

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These discoveries show that early humans were not simply passive observers of natural fires. They were actively engaging with fire and incorporating it into their lives.