Andreu Ollé Cañellas

Position

Researcher at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA), associate professor at Rovira i Virgili University, and co-director of the Atapuerca project

Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), Rovira i Virgili University, Atapuerca foundation

Topics

prehistory, paleontology

Evidence found that humans made fire 400,000 years ago

archaeology

Evidence found that humans made fire 400,000 years ago

SMC Spain

A research team led by the British Museum presents evidence in the journal Nature that humans were making fire – deliberately and not just taking advantage of natural fires – 400,000 years ago in Barnham (United Kingdom). The remains analysed, including burnt sediments, heat-damaged flint axes and pieces of pyrite, are much older than those recorded to date, which dated the deliberate use of fire to around 50,000 years ago in northern France.