'It is the most exciting discovery in my 40-year career': Archaeologists uncover evidence that Neanderthals made fire 400,000 years ago in England

https://www.livescience.com/ ^ | 12/10/2025 | Kristina Killgrove

[bitt]

Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence yet of fire technology — and it was created by Neanderthals in England more than 400,000 years ago.

Neanderthals were the world's first innovators of fire technology, tiny specks of evidence in England suggest. Flecks of pyrite found at a more than 400,000-year-old archaeological site in Suffolk, in eastern England, push back archaeologists' evidence for controlled fire-making and suggest that key human brain developments began far earlier than previously thought.

"We're a species who've used fire to really shape the world around us," study co-author Rob Davis, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the British Museum, said in a news conference on Tuesday (Dec. 9). "The ability to make fire would have been critically important" in human evolution, Davis said, "accelerating evolutionary trends" such as developing larger brains, maintaining larger social groups, and increasing language skills.

Since 2013, Davis and colleagues have been excavating an archaeological site in England called Barnham, which yielded stone tools, burnt sediment and charcoal from 400,000 years ago. In a study published Wednesday (Dec. 10) in the journal Nature, the researchers revealed that the site contained the world's earliest direct evidence of fire-making — and that this fire technology was likely pioneered by Neanderthals.

A big turning point Barnham was first recognized as a Paleolithic human site in the early 1900s due to the presence of stone tools. But recent excavations uncovered evidence of ancient human groups occupying the area more than 415,000 years ago, when Barnham was a small, seasonal watering hole in a woodland depression.

[Colt1851Navy]

Bet they had some real hooligans at the soccer matches back then.

[Bikkuri]

"Another blow to the out of africa pablum."

Was thinking the same thing.

[catnipman]

“’It is the most exciting discovery in my 40-year career’: Archaeologists uncover evidence that Neanderthals made fire 400,000 years ago in England”

but, but, but did they have giant underground caverns 3 miles beneath their fires?

[dennisw]

One popular debunker is >>>>> https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Out-of-Africa+Theory+ROBERT+SEPEHR

[lgjhn23]

And the biggest discovery yet, is that their offspring are still lighting fires today....LOL

[Candor7]

"....... Suffolk, in eastern England, push back archaeologists' evidence for controlled fire-making and suggest that key human brain developments began far earlier than previously thought.">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Clearly these were the ancestral predecessors of Lazamataz.They began the ancient tradition of deep frying fish and potato slices , called Suffolk "Blighty" and their tribe "Blighters."

Neanderthal petrogliphs have been translated to mean "tallyho."

Here they are enjoying their fire:

[PIF]

and suggest that key human brain developments began far earlier than previously thought.

—
Applies only if you are a Neanderthal - modern humans had the good sense to live in warmer climates.

[wafflehouse]

bNonsense. What were these “humans” doing for those 400,000 years? Playing games? With all that time, maybe they could have learned to write, yet we have no written history beyond 6,000 years. Why? Where are all the bodies? That is one hell of a long time to figure out how to procreate. And how was the date determined? It was published in the Journal Nature. Still trying to convince the world of evolution, and many are buying, believing this crap.

evolution is a theory, not a fact. and its a pretty good theory for what thats worth. you seem to have the mindset that it is supposed to be 'fact'. only people who dont understand how science works would claim this. this not only applies to you, but also to all the lefty screamers out there proclaiming this as truth also
that being said, your counter here is ridiculous. what were the dinosaurs doing all that time? why didn they learn to write?
i fully realize that this is a waste of my breath as you are a 'true believer' (meaning your opinions are set regardless of any contrary evidence) but your stance here is inflexible, uncomprehending, and utterly misinformed.

[The Great RJ]

While early humans undoubtedly used fire, how did they make the connection between sparks from flint striking pyrites and producing fire? One could see an accidental discovery of friction fire making with wooden tools, but how did they discover making sparks with flint and pyrites? I suppose it was space aliens.

[Fungi]

“i fully realize that this is a waste of my breath” Then why did you do it? And please stop beating our wife.