This is a reconstruction of an early species of human called Homo erectus.
Homo erectus is the species of human thought to have controlled fire.
Homo Erectus. 2007. Photograph. Westfälisches Museum Für Archäologie, Herne.

The Basic Gist
of Human Use of Fire
Britney Spindler

       Because the first use of fire occurred during "pre-history," very little clear evidence can be found. No societies had yet created writing; nobody wrote "Yesterday my nomad pal discovered that he could create a warm orange thing with two rocks. We've decided to call the warm orange thing 'fire'." As a result, archaeologist, scholars, and historians must collaborate to form a clear image of the conditions and time periods during which early humans first learned to control and create fires. 
       The earliest date of human control of fire is unclear; archaeologists suggest that Homo erectus, a hominid species which predates the evolution of modern man, was able to use fire successfully. If this is true, then fire was in use by humans roughly 400,000 years ago. These claims are generally supported by scholars. Others argue that humans first began to use fire millions of years ago; these claims are circumstantial at best and do not provide enough evidence to be widely accepted. The first true evidence of the widespread use of fire occurred 125,000 years ago. 
       Clay sherds (fragments of clay, as opposed to "shards" which are fragments of glass) found in Kenya from over one million years ago suggest that humans may have understood how to control fires during the Lower Paleolithic era; however, this evidence is highly disputed. Later evidence of fire use by Homo erectus was found at a site called Zhoukoudian in China 400,000 years ago. This is the earliest widely accepted evidence of humans using fire. Burned animal bones found at the site suggest that these early humans were using fires to cook meat. Additionally, the cold climate in Zhoukoudian 400,000 years ago leads scholars to believe that the fires were used to keep warm. The first widespread use of fire occurred in Africa before it spread globally by around 125,000 BP (before present). Much later, evidence for more complex use of fire occurred (the creation of earth ovens in which to cook meat and bake clay figures) in the Czech Republic from the Upper Paleolithic era (20,000-40,000 BP). 
       How exactly humans first came to control fire is not clear; whether it was a stroke of luck or an actively pursued goal is not certain. Humans are observant and opportunistic creatures who undoubtedly learned to utilize naturally occurring fires much in the same way other animals learned to (for example, most animals appear to appreciate the warmth of a post-fire pile of coals; additionally, birds of prey learned to circle fires to find carrion) until they discovered how to create fires themselves. They fueled their fires with wood. In areas where wood was sparse, materials such as seaweed, animal dung, and grasses were used. Some scholars argue that the first use of fire occurred because of the necessity to adapt to colder climates caused by the last ice age.



Works Cited

Herst, K. Kris. "The Discovery Of Fire." About.com Archaeology. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://archaeology.about.com/od/ancientdailylife/qt/fire_control.htm>.

Herst, K. Kris. "Zhoukoudian (China)." About.com Archaeology. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://archaeology.about.com/od/glossary/qt/zhoukoudian.htm>.

Nicholson, Ward. "First Control of Fire by Human Beings--How Early?" Beyond Vegetarianism. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview2c.shtml>.

Price, David. "Energy and Human Evolution." Energy and Human Evolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. 
<http://www.dieoff.org/page137.htm>.