Archaeologists discover earliest controlled fire in eastern England

British scientists have announced that they have found evidence of deliberate fire use dating back roughly 400,000 years at the Barnham archaeological site in Suffolk, eastern England.

The research team, led by the British Museum, detected pieces of baked clay, hand axes cracked due to intense heat, and fragments of iron pyrite — a mineral that produces sparks when struck against flint, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

To rule out the possibility of natural fires, the team conducted detailed examinations over four years. Their tests revealed that temperatures in the area had exceeded 700 degrees Celsius and that repeated burn marks were found in the same location.

Researchers emphasized that these findings indicate a deliberately constructed hearth rather than lightning strikes or wildfires.

The study concludes that humans began using controlled fire approximately 400,000 years ago.

Previously, the oldest known evidence of controlled fire use was believed to be remains found at Neanderthal settlements in northern France, dating to around 50,000 years ago.

The details of the research were published in the journal Nature.