Early Evidence Of Fire Found

Discovery News ^ | 10-17-2003 | Rossella Lorenzi

[blam]

Early Evidence Of Fire Found

Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News

Oct. 17, 2003 — Construction work to build a relief road for a British village has revealed one of the earliest evidences of fire in Europe, British archaeologists announced.

Charcoal deposits that might date back between 250,000 and 300,000 years ago, were discovered in Harnham, a village one mile south of Salisbury on South Wiltshire's Chalklands, England.

"It's really an exciting discovery. It has come out of the blue as air photography showed nothing of significance. The presence of charcoal suggests the people there made fires. It would seem natural as the climate was cold and damp at the time," archaeologist Helena Cave Penny told Discovery News.

Excavation also uncovered animal bones, such as horse bones, and 44 "very rare" flint hand axes — the earliest form of tool used by man.

"The site was next to a tributary of the River Avon. We believe it was used as a seasonal riverside camp," Cave Penny said.

Revealing the shadow of hunters who probably made fire and sat by the river using axes as butchery tools to carve up meat, the prehistoric riverside "picnic" site dates to the lower Paleolithic (early Stone Age) era.

Characterized by flint implements simply chipped into shape, this is a crucial period as it saw the development of those features that make us human — loss of thick body hair; bipedal; tool-making; use of fire; the creation of clothing and weapons and probably the development of language.

Showing plenty of evidence of Stone Age sites, England boasts the largest area of preserved Paleolithic land surface in Europe at Boxgrove, West Sussex.

According to Roy Canham, County Archaeologist for Wiltshire, the Chalkland area near Salisbury might have potential for new discoveries.

"This finding can help our understanding of the period. The use of fire may have to remain speculative, but the evidence really looks OK," Canham said.

The findings will be catalogued and put on display in Salisbury Museum.

[Graybeard58]

"The site was next to a tributary of the River Avon"

Nothing to do with the post but I have a question: I have heard the River Avon pronounced as A Von, like the comestic and also pronounced A Vun, both by british people on tv. Which is correct?

[farmfriend]

Consider yourself added. And if you ever change your mind, just let me know.

[farmfriend]

OOps added you to wrong list. Need to check these things.

[stands2reason]

Please add me to your list.

[stands2reason]

We aren't from Neandertals, right?

I don't think so. I believe we killed them off.

[Junior]

Ping.

[Alas Babylon!]

Dittos! Please put me on the list!

[freedumb2003]

Unless it was in the NY Post, In which case it would be along the lines of...

Or the LA Times/NYT:

Ancient British town burns down, including women and children. Bush ancestor to blame.

[farmfriend]

Adding. If you ever change your mind let me know.

[farmfriend]

Boy, you were going to make sure I got you weren't you. You've been added per freepmail.

[mgstarr]

A Vun is how I've heard it pronounced there if that helps.

[HankReardon]

What is BCE? Before the Current Era? What happened to Before Christ?

[Porterville]

Ash Stash in Brit's Pit Or

Coal Hole in Queen's Ream

[meenie]

When did the Lord invent lightning strikes? Before or after homo sapiens?

[Porterville]

Soot Root in Prince's Rinses

[null and void]

I'd kinda like to see the pics of the pict's pikes.

Oooo! I could Shake you! They are Spears! (It's on the Avon river...)

[org.whodat]

We aren't from Neandertals, right?

, I don't think so. I believe we killed them off.

Then I guess you've never heard of any port in a storm??

[edwin hubble]

"What is BCE? Before the Current Era? What happened to Before Christ? "

yep.. PC and all that

[null and void]

Actually, BCE is used fairly commonly by Jewish scholars, and has been in use for about a century as far as I have seen anyway. Since well before PC infected everything.

[edwin hubble]

"How can that 70K gap exist if we are the descendents of the previous species? We aren't from Neandertals, right?"

We (Homo sapiens sapiens, modern man) are believed to have come from a separate line coming out of Africa about 70,000 years after Neanderthal appeared in Europe.

Then, it is believed, we co-existed uneasily without inter-breeding with Neanderthal for about 100,000 years and gradually displaced them. They are very distant cousins, but not ancestors.

In any event, 250,000 to 300,000 years ago moves back the earliest intentional fire-making.