Transverse section of a fragment of charcoal ash observed under an environmental scanning electron microscopeM. Moncusí/IPHES
Posted on 04/22/2026 8:09:40 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Analysis of charcoal found at the site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov in northern Israel shows that early hominins used readily available tree species for firewood, according to a statement released by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For tens of thousands of years, hunter-gatherers repeatedly returned to Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, which was situated near a lake. Ethel Allué of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, Naama Goren-Inbar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an international team of scientists examined more than 250 pieces of charcoal from an occupation layer at the site dated to some 780,000 years ago. The researchers were able to determine that ash, willow, grapevine, oleander, olive, oak, pistachio, and pomegranate wood were all burned. When compared with the variety of fruits, nuts, and seeds collected for food at the site, Allué and her colleagues found that the charcoal represented a more diverse collection of botanical remains. The firewood was therefore likely picked up as fallen branches and logs from plant species available along the lakeshore and the open Mediterranean woodland. Fish remains, mainly the teeth of large carp, were found among the charcoal, indicating that fish were cooked over what was probably a carefully controlled fire, the researchers concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Quaternary Science Reviews. To read about the world's oldest known rock art, which was made by modern humans nearly 70,000 years ago, go to "Mark of the Human."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Transverse section of a fragment of charcoal ash observed under an environmental scanning electron microscopeM. Moncusí/IPHES
and the grapes back then were as big as softballs.
Really, You needed to spend money on the obvious. This is why academia has lost it’s prestige. Who approved this research? Should be fired!
Did the scientists think they were ordering hard wood charcoal from Canada?
I would imagine in that area they would be pretty limited in the available wood—kind of like those in the southwest deserts of the US.
Henry Ford did not invent the charcoal briquette, but he popularized them by industrializing their production in the 1920s to utilize wood waste from his Model T sawmill. He collaborated with chemist Orin Stafford and his relative E.G. Kingsford to turn sawdust and scraps into “charcoal briquettes,” initially selling them as “Ford Charcoal” at dealerships.
Did hominins women like diverse wood as well?... Asking for a friend...
Since this is an evidence based conclusion, instead of some high and mighty pronouncement based on either politics or superstition, it enhances the standing of academia. But nice try.
How much wood would a Hominin char if a Hominim would char wood?
‘Imagine’ doesn’t cut it.
Too soon! 👑
Early peoples used wood that was available. I’m shocked. How much did the research cost?
No, the Neanderthals, whose diet included grilled vegetables and domesticated fowl, preferred Kingsford for its aroma and even heating. Cro-Magnon Man preferred Royal Oak for is apple and cherry (and of course oak) notes and longer-lasting flames for their game-based diet and their religious ceremonies.
Interesting research.
Especially the part about the fish. I seem to remember there was quite a controversy back a few years ago because they did not think we had been cooking for that long.
“If I’ve told thee once, I’ve told thee a thousand times, Jacob son of Isaac — do not bring me that wretched oleander again for the fire at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov!What am I, some desert widow who must choke on bitter smoke like a common goat herder’s wife? Nay! I want the aristocratic mesquite, with its bold and untamed spirit! Or the refined hickory, redolent of deep, bourbon-kissed earthiness! Bring me the delicate cherry that whispers sweet-tart orchard romance, or the regal oak with its stately, vanilla-laced backbone — a complex bouquet of smoldering tannins, phenolic elegance, and subtle lignins that dance upon the air like a proper offering to the Lord!
One does not simply burn any scrub wood lying about like some Philistine savage! I orchestrate a symphony of volatile aromatics worthy of the daughters of Jacob, not a pauper’s stew!
Now go, husband — fetch me proper wood, and be quick about it, or thou shalt smell nothing but thy own hunger this night. And wipe that look off thy face; Rachel may have stolen thy heart, but she cannot cook a decent brisket to save her life!”
You can’t beat wood.
————————-
Yet today people will pay money to eat raw fish so they can get pin worms just like their early ancestors that did not know about fire use.
See, this is one of those times when, the less I say, the better. 😎
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
