Ancient humans made fire on demand 400,000 years ago

Overview

Early humans struck pyrite against flint to spark fires in a Suffolk field 400,000 years ago—350,000 years before anyone thought possible. British Museum archaeologists found two pyrite fragments near a hearth littered with fire-cracked hand axes and sediment burned to 700°C, evidence that early Neanderthals weren't just using fire—they were making it.

In This Story

3 People

More Ancient Fire Sites Discovered Worldwide

3 Context

Olduvai Gorge Stone Tools (2.6 Million Years Ago)

Key Indicators

350,000

Years earlier than previous evidence

Previous oldest fire-making proof was 50,000 years ago in France

700°C

Temperature of ancient hearth

Geochemical analysis shows repeated heating at extreme temperatures

10 miles

Distance pyrite was transported

Iron pyrite doesn't occur naturally at Barnham—humans brought it deliberately

12 years

Duration of modern excavation

Three weeks of digging annually since 2013 at East Farm, Barnham

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People Involved

Nick Ashton

Professor and Curator of Palaeolithic Collections, British Museum (Lead researcher on Barnham excavation)

John McNabb

Senior Lecturer in Palaeolithic Archaeology, University of Southampton (Co-investigator on Barnham project)

Richard Wrangham

Biological Anthropologist, Harvard University (Proponent of cooking hypothesis for human evolution)

Organizations Involved

British Museum

National Museum

Status: Lead institution on Barnham excavation

World's oldest national public museum, housing 8 million objects spanning human history.

UCL Institute of Archaeology

Academic Research Institute

Status: Collaborative partner on Barnham research

World-leading center for archaeological research and education at University College London.

Nature

Scientific Journal

Status: Published the breakthrough research

Prestigious peer-reviewed journal publishing groundbreaking scientific discoveries across all disciplines.

Timeline

Nature Paper Published
Scientific Publication

Davis, Ashton, and colleagues publish breakthrough evidence of 400,000-year-old fire-making, pushing timeline back 350,000 years.
December 10th, 2025
Geochemical Analysis Complete
Scientific Testing

Laboratory testing confirms Barnham sediments heated repeatedly to 700°C+, consistent with sustained fire-making activity.
2023
Pyrite Fragments Identified
Archaeological Evidence

Researchers identify two small pyrite pieces among burnt materials—mineral not naturally found within 10 miles of Barnham.
2020
Barnham Excavations Resume
Archaeological Dig

British Museum and UCL restart fieldwork at East Farm as part of Pathways to Ancient Britain project, three weeks annually.
2013
Happisburgh Footprints Found
Archaeological Discovery

Ashton's team discovers 900,000-year-old hominin footprints in Norfolk—oldest evidence of humans in northern Europe.
2013
Wonderwerk Cave Dating
Archaeological Discovery

South African cave shows burned bone and ash from 1 million years ago—earliest secure evidence of fire use, but not making.
2012
Wrangham's Cooking Hypothesis Published
Scientific Theory

Harvard anthropologist argues fire-based cooking drove human brain evolution, sparking debate about when fire control began.
2009
Gesher Benot Ya'aqov Fire Evidence
Archaeological Discovery

Israeli site shows controlled fire use 790,000 years ago—previously strongest evidence for deliberate burning.
2004
Initial Barnham Excavations Conclude
Archaeological Dig

First phase produces stone tool assemblages and faunal remains but no definitive fire evidence yet.
1994
Barnham Excavations Begin
Archaeological Dig

Nick Ashton and John McNabb start excavating disused clay pit near Barnham, Suffolk, finding Hoxnian artifacts from 400,000 years ago.
1989
Swanscombe Skull Discovery
Fossil Find

Skull fragments of early Neanderthal woman found at Barnfield Pit, Kent, dating to 400,000 years ago—same period as Barnham site.
1935

Scenarios

More Ancient Fire Sites Discovered Worldwide

Discussed by: Paleoanthropologists quoted in Scientific American, National Geographic, and Nature

The Barnham breakthrough triggers renewed scrutiny of existing Paleolithic sites. Archaeologists realize they've been overlooking pyrite fragments and subtle burning signatures. Within two years, teams report similar fire-making evidence from 300,000-year-old sites in Spain, Germany, and Israel. The timeline pushes back further—maybe to 500,000 years ago. Fire-making emerges as a widespread Homo heidelbergensis capability, not a rare Neanderthal innovation. This validates Wrangham's cooking hypothesis and explains how hominins survived Ice Age Europe.

Fire Control Remains Elusive Before 400,000 Years

Discussed by: Skeptical researchers interviewed by Science and Archaeology magazines

Despite intensive searches, no convincing fire-making evidence emerges from sites older than Barnham. The 790,000-year-old Gesher Benot Ya'aqov fires might represent opportunistic use of natural blazes, not deliberate ignition. Barnham stands as humanity's fire-making threshold—the moment cognitive and motor capabilities aligned to master pyrotechnology. Earlier hominins used fire when they found it, but couldn't create it on demand. This explains why human brain expansion accelerated around 400,000 years ago.

Competing Fire-Making Technologies Discovered

Discussed by: Experimental archaeologists quoted in Journal of Human Evolution

Pyrite-and-flint turns out to be just one fire-making method. Researchers find evidence of fire-ploughs (friction-based), fire-drills (bow-driven rotation), and percussion methods using different minerals at contemporaneous sites across Eurasia and Africa. Early humans invented fire-making multiple times using regionally available materials. This explains rapid geographic dispersal of fire technology and suggests higher cognitive sophistication than previously recognized. The discovery fundamentally reshapes our understanding of Paleolithic technological diversity and cultural transmission.

Barnham Evidence Challenged by New Analysis

Discussed by: Critical reviewers in subsequent archaeological journals

Skeptics question whether the pyrite was really used for fire-starting or served another purpose. They note that natural wildfires could have created the thermal signatures, and humans might have collected pyrite for aesthetic reasons or as a soft hammer. Without finding actual striker flints with pyrite residue, the case remains circumstantial. Debate drags on for years, with Barnham's claims neither definitively proven nor disproven. The search for unambiguous fire-making evidence continues.

Historical Context

Olduvai Gorge Stone Tools (2.6 Million Years Ago)

2.6-1.8 million years ago

What Happened

Homo habilis created the first recognizable stone tools in Tanzania—sharp flakes struck from river cobbles. The Oldowan toolkit represented humanity's first technological breakthrough, enabling meat processing and bone marrow extraction. For over a million years, this simple technology remained unchanged across Africa.

Outcome

Short Term

Stone tools allowed early humans to access calorie-rich foods and compete with scavengers.

Long Term

Tool-making drove brain expansion and hand dexterity evolution, setting the stage for all subsequent technology.

Why It's Relevant Today

Like stone tools, fire-making represents a quantum leap in human capability—technology that amplified our biology and reshaped our evolutionary trajectory.

Homo Erectus Expansion (1.8 Million Years Ago)

1.8 million-117,000 years ago

What Happened

Homo erectus migrated out of Africa into Asia and possibly Europe, becoming the first hominin to colonize diverse environments from tropical to temperate zones. They developed more sophisticated Acheulean hand axes and may have controlled fire by 1 million years ago, though evidence remains contested. Their larger brains and smaller guts suggest dietary changes.

Outcome

Short Term

H. erectus spread across two continents, adapting to new climates and food sources.

Long Term

This species persisted for over a million years, the longest survival of any hominin—success attributable partly to fire use.

Why It's Relevant Today

Barnham shows that by 400,000 years ago, H. erectus descendants had perfected on-demand fire, explaining how they thrived in Ice Age Britain.

Lascaux Cave Paintings (17,000 Years Ago)

17,000 years ago

What Happened

Paleolithic artists created breathtaking animal paintings deep inside French caves, using charcoal from fires and fat-lamp illumination. The sophisticated imagery demonstrates abstract thinking, planning, and symbolic communication. These weren't survival activities—they were art, suggesting rich cultural and possibly religious traditions.

Outcome

Short Term

Cave art sites became culturally significant locations, visited repeatedly over generations.

Long Term

The paintings survive as humanity's oldest masterpieces, evidence that Ice Age humans possessed fully modern cognition.

Why It's Relevant Today

Without fire mastery stretching back 400,000 years, the cultural sophistication leading to Lascaux would have been impossible—fire literally illuminated human consciousness.