Overview
- Researchers led by the British Museum report the find in Nature, identifying a repeatedly used hearth at Barnham, Suffolk, dating to roughly 400,000 years ago.
- Analyses of baked sediment, heat-shattered flint tools and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons indicate focused burning at temperatures above 700–750°C.
- Two iron pyrite fragments, scarce locally, point to deliberate transport of fire-starting material, helping rule out natural wildfire as the source.
- The fire-makers were likely early Neanderthals based on nearby fossils, though no human remains were found at the site itself.
- The team says habitual fire-making would have supported cooking, survival in colder climates and social gatherings, and they plan to apply the same methods to re-examine other Paleolithic sites.