Neanderthals Brought The First Fire

New discoveries in the northwest of England show that Neanderthals—and not Homo sapiens—were the first to engage in controlled, deliberate fire use 400,000 years ago. The previous known use of deliberate fire activity came from France—but only about 50,000 years ago. What this means is that our cousins in the human chain were the first to figure out that flint and pyrite could ignite twigs and sticks—and they did it 350,000 years sooner than us. 

Controlling fire—and not just using random fire from lightening strikes or wildfires—allowed Neanderthals to warm themselves and cook food. It also allowed them to wander the landscape, no longer chained to one spot. Now, they could carry their knowledge of fire-making anywhere.

While Neanderthals and Homo sapiens do share a common ancestor, their lineages are definitely distinct. Eventually, Homo sapiens won out in the competition with Neanderthals and emerged as the “modern” human we all are today. 

But doesn’t it seem a bit ironic that we’ve used the term “neanderthal” to represent an unsophisticated human? Because in fact, they beat us to the punch on one of the most important milestones of evolution. It brings to mind the Billy Joel composition, “We Didn’t Start The Fire”. Indeed, we did not.