After studying animal remains found at sites in Israel, Spain and Africa, where some of the earliest evidence of fire has been found, Tel Aviv University scientists have concluded that our ancestors primarily used fire to preserve meat and protect themselves from scavengers.
Tel Aviv University. Deer bones support researchers' theory that prehistoric humans learned to control fire to smoke and preserve meat.
Ben-Dor and Barkai examined nine different prehistoric sites, including six in Africa, two in Israel and one in Spain. All of these sites demonstrated early fire use, dating from 1.8 million to 800,000 years ago.
Although the remains of large game animals such as hippopotamuses and rhinoceroses have been found at these sites, no discoveries have been made to confirm that meat bones were roasted over a fire.
“The use of fire was not common among ancient people, and most archaeological sites dating back less than 400,000 years show no evidence of fire,” Ben-Dor said. “However, a number of early sites show clear signs of fire use, but no burnt bones or evidence of roasting meat.”
This, in turn, confirms that fire was not used to cook or roast meat for immediate consumption, but to smoke it for later storage.
While fire was probably initially used purely as a preservation method, it was later used for cooking as people realized they could use fire “at zero marginal energy cost,” Barkai said.
The work is part of a broader theory Ben-Dor and Barkai are developing regarding the transition of ancient humans from hunting large animals to smaller food sources.
How Fire Mastery Fits into the Big Picture of Early Human Development
According to Ben-Dor, the ability to preserve the meat of large animals played a crucial role in the survival of ancient people.
“We know from previous research that these animals were extremely important to the early human diet, providing a significant portion of the calories needed,” Ben-Dor said. “The meat and fat of a single elephant, for example, contains millions of calories, enough to feed a group of 20 to 30 people for a month or more.”
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