Human history is closely related to the use and control of fire. However, determining when our relationship with fire began and how it developed over time has been notoriously difficult. This is partly due to the incomplete nature of the archaeological record, as well as the short duration of the use of fire, making cremated remains difficult to detect. However, our team did find evidence of controlled use of fire by either direct ancestors of humans or hominids at a site in Spain dating back 250,000 years. This pushes back the earliest evidence of firefighting in Europe by 50,000 years. Findings published Nature Scientific Reports. Finding the remains of human ancestors and a bonfire in one place is truly special.

There is much older evidence of hominins using fire, but this may have taken the way hominins used coal from natural forest fires for cooking. The use of controlled fire is when people deliberately burn it and then control the scale or temperature of the sample. That’s why we have evidence on site in Spain.

Much older evidence that may have come from people outside Europe using natural fire comes from Swartkrans Cave in South Africa, where hundreds of burnt animal bones and humanoid remains dating from 1 to 1.5 million years ago were found. Fragments of burnt animal bones were also found at a 1.5-million-year-old site known as FxJj 20AB at Koobi Fora, Kenya.

However, finding humanoid artifacts and burnt bones in the same place does not mean that they coincided in time, let alone control the fire. The path to its controlled use was probably gradual.

deliberate use?

Fast forward nearly a million years to the earliest clear evidence of man-made fire: an exposed site in Israel called Gesher Benot Yaakov that dates back about 790,000 years. Evidence found at the site includes side-by-side burnt plants and burnt stone tools. Other sites in Israel contain similar evidence of fire, such as Kesem Cave, dated 420,000 to 200,000 years ago, and Tabun Cave, where archaeological finds date from around 340,000 years ago.

While early evidence such as these points to fire control, it can be difficult to establish a direct link between resources such as wood fuel, activities such as fire preparation, and intent—perhaps a necessary condition for controlled fire. In Europe, it is generally accepted that fire was regularly used by hominids at least 350,000 years ago, with some speculation about the control of fire in connection with the expansion of a specialized stone tool technology known as the Acheulian.

Indeed, at many European sites dating to between 450,000 and 250,000 years ago, there is a simultaneous increase in the number of open prehistoric “quarries” or hearths and burnt Acheulean artifacts such as flint handaxes and a sedimentary rock called flint. . Many also contain charred plant material and bones.

However, there is some reason to believe that these associations have a natural origin – for example, forest fires or lightning strikes. Before the new evidence, the oldest clear evidence of firefighting in Europe came from Menez-Dregan in France and Bolmore Cave in Spain, both of which date to around 200,000 years ago. Another early site with clear evidence of the use of fire in homes is Abrigo de la Quebrada in Spain, which dates back about 100,000 years.

a new test

New evidence from the Valdocarros II site in Spain from around 250,000 years ago provides a new clue to understanding our ancient connection with fire. Lipid biomarkers are residual molecules that come from certain sources, such as certain tree species, and are left behind by processes such as fire. Recently published data on lipid biomarkers from various archaeological sites reveal details of unique sources associated with Acheulean artifacts, such as individual fire-making tree species.

Lipid biomarker evidence from Valdocarros shows diagnostic features suggesting rotting pine was used as fuel. Surprisingly, the pollen record in the surrounding region and the relationship between water and climate suggest that rotted pine would be an unusual resource. Supporting evidence comes from molecules called polyaromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are products of incomplete combustion. Analysis of this data shows that the rotting pine at Valdocarros II burned at temperatures as low as about 350°C for a relatively short period of time.

Fires that are too hot tend to char and burn the outside of the food before the inside of the product reaches a usable temperature. Lower temperatures are needed to break down biological tissue so it’s easier to digest – one of the main reasons for cooking. In contrast, low-temperature fire is unlikely to be used solely for heating, given that wood burns much more commonly at higher temperatures. Another advantage of using rotten pine is that it ignites easily.

fuel selection

Thus, it is understood that the fires in Valdocarros II were used for activities such as cooking. An intriguing record of the use of fire on this Spanish site begins to emerge after combining all available evidence. For example, Valdocarros II has a rich mammalian fossil record that includes large numbers of killed fallow deer (Cervus elaphus) and wild ancestors of domestic cattle known as bison (Bos primigenius). Each bison can weigh up to 1,500 kg or more.

Thus, hominids in this area demonstrate all the necessary prerequisites for controlling fire: the use of certain resources, such as rotting pine wood; certain actions, such as low-temperature fire used for cooking; and an intention that might imply the need to move large carcasses to a place where fire is used.

By any standard, the hominids in Valdocarros II controlled fire. The site is neither the oldest nor the first case of a controlled fire. Rather, it is an important turning point in the process of human evolution, as it sets clear time limits for the emergence of a defining human trait. The work at Valdocarros II also creates an opportunity for a broader discussion on how to generate intent and foresight from the archaeological record, as well as the broader context of human evolution and prehistory.