Overview
- A British Museum–led team reports in Nature that two pyrite fragments were found next to hearth remains at Barnham in eastern England.
- Striking pyrite against flint can generate sparks, and the minerals’ placement provides direct evidence that fires were intentionally produced.
- Sediment chemistry, hydrocarbon signatures and magnetic tests indicate localized, repeatedly used hearths rather than natural wildfires.
- The site dates to about 400,000 years ago, pushing back the earliest unambiguous evidence for deliberate fire production by roughly 350,000 years.
- No hominid bones were recovered, and researchers infer early Neanderthals as the most likely fire-makers based on artifacts and regional comparisons.