Overview
- The British Museum–led team reports that artifacts from Barnham, Suffolk, constitute the earliest convincing archaeological evidence that hominins could make fire.
- Finds include a clay layer altered by intense heat, multiple flint handaxes with thermal damage, and two small iron pyrite pieces associated with spark production.
- Laboratory tests indicate the clay was heated repeatedly to at least 750°C, consistent with a repeatedly used hearth or cooking area.
- Because pyrite is scarce locally, researchers infer it was brought to the site, suggesting knowledge of flint–pyrite fire-starting techniques among early Neanderthals.
- The study argues this timing fits a broader behavioral shift between roughly 500,000 and 300,000 years ago, and a Nature commentary calls the new evidence convincing despite the difficulty of proving intent.