00:00Archaeologists in the United Kingdom have uncovered the earliest evidence of humans making fire at 400,000 years old.
00:09It has long been known that ancient humans used naturally occurring fire more than one million years ago,
00:15but it has remained unclear when exactly humans learned to create and control fire themselves.
00:21We have this evidence for a fireplace. We have next to it archaeology artifacts made by Neanderthals.
00:28But what really makes this site extraordinary is the discovery of these two little fragments.
00:34And this is just a tiny little fragment of iron pyrite.
00:38So this is a mineral that can be used for striking.
00:43You strike it with flint and it creates sparks. So it's part of a fire lighting kit.
00:49So this is evidence that not only were Neanderthals using fire at this site,
00:53but they were also making the fire using flint and pyrite.
00:59The archaeological team spent four years analyzing the materials to rule out natural wildfires.
01:05Tests showed temperatures above 700 degrees Celsius and repeated burning in the same location,
01:11indicating a hearth was used multiple times.
01:14Other fossils of the same age were found in Britain and Spain, exhibiting traits linked to Neanderthals.
01:20.
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