The control of fire by early humans refers to the deliberate use and eventual production of fire by hominins, a technology that reshaped human evolution. Possible traces of fire use appear at Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa from roughly one million years ago, while the oldest widely accepted evidence for deliberate fire making comes from a Neanderthal site in England dated to about four hundred thousand years ago. Fire gave early humans warmth, protection from predators, the ability to cook food and a means of hardening tools, and by around one hundred twenty five thousand years ago its use had become nearly universal among anatomically modern humans.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.