Humans Did Not Originally Use Fire For Cooking Until Much Later, Claims New Study

Fire played a massive role in the development of human society as well as in the physiology of modern humans. For a long time, experts thought that the relationship between humans and fire was forged for cooking, according to IFL Science. However, a new study proposed something different. These findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, which claimed that initially, humans started using fire to preserve their meat. They made such an assertion based on the existing literature available about prehistoric sites where evidence of fire has been detected. A total of nine sites were included in this examination, spread across Israel, Africa, and Spain.

Ran Barkai, a co-author in the study, shared that the study's objective was to determine what ancient humans used fire for around a million years ago, according to Gizmodo. Past examinations have confirmed that 400,000 years ago, people used fire in a domestic setting. Some of its speculated functions were deemed to be roasting meat, lighting, and heating. It is the years before that which have been a source of contention. Researchers knew that early humans, like Homo Erectus, used fire occasionally before it transitioned into a domestic tool. Further analysis indicated that these early humans forged fire only at specific places and possibly for special purposes. Therefore, regular cooking may not have been a motive.

The actual aim was possibly something else that saved their energy. To understand the motive, the study explored written documents of prehistoric sites, with evidence of using fire dating back to somewhere between 1.8 million and 800,000 years ago. The investigation revealed that in all nine sites, archaeologists had discovered remains of large animals, like rhinoceroses, elephants, and hippopotamuses. Co-author Miki Ben-Dor shared that these animals were important sources of essential calories in the diet, followed by Early Humans. "The meat and fat of a single elephant, for example, contain millions of calories, enough to feed a group of 20–30 people for a month or more," he added.

Therefore, it was not a far-fetched thought for experts that this "meat and fat bank" would be protected by early humans as it was a coveted prize not only for other predators but also for bacteria. Researchers analyzed the sites and estimated the "energetic advantage" in play for early humans by preserving large game for their assertions. Based on this, they concluded that fire was possibly used for protective and preservation purposes in these sites. The study claims that the fire drove away other predators from the meat and could have been utilized for preservation through smoking and drying. Researchers think that cooking came much later in the picture as humans steadily progressed from rudimentary steps. 

Experts believe that the energy returns cooking provided to early humans were much less than the effort they needed to put into making fire, which was not a widely adopted method at that time, according to Discover Magazine. "The process of gathering fuel, igniting a fire, and maintaining it over time required significant effort, and they needed a compelling, energy-efficient motive to do so," Ben-Dor added. "We have proposed a new hypothesis regarding that motive." Hence, the motive to forge fire must have been something else at the site, and the presence of animal remains indicated purposes, such as preservation and protection.