Wonderwerk Cave Study Pushes Hominid Fire Use Back to 1.79 Million Years
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 18
Wonderwerk Cave Study Pushes Hominid Fire Use Back to 1.79 Million Years
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 18
Summary
A new analysis of burnt bones and ash-like residues in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave dates hominid fire use to 1.07-1.79 million years ago—about 700,000 years earlier than previous estimates.
Researchers used near-ultraviolet luminescence on fossil bones, then cross-checked the burning with chemical char evidence and multiple dating methods, including cosmogenic and paleomagnetic analysis.
The fire traces were found at least 30 meters inside the cave and in repeated layers, which the team says rules out wildfire or spontaneous combustion and points to intentional use rather than natural burning.
Acheulean tools at similar depths suggest Homo erectus may have used the fires, possibly fueled by ancient owl droppings containing tiny rodent bones.
Outside experts praised the breadth of evidence but said a claim this consequential for human prehistory still needs stronger direct proof of how the fire was used, such as for cooking.
How did mastering fire 700,000 years earlier than we thought accelerate human evolution and the birth of community?
If our ancestors controlled fire 1.7 million years ago but not for cooking, what was its most crucial purpose in the dark?
Wonderwerk Cave Pushes Back Earliest Evidence of Human Fire Use to Over 1 Million Years Ago
Overview
A groundbreaking study published in June 2026 reveals new evidence for the Early Pleistocene use of fire at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Conducted by an international team of scientists, this research builds on previous discoveries at the site, which had already provided the oldest known evidence for intentional fire use, dated to about 1 million years ago. The new findings further extend and reinforce the timeline for when early humans began to harness fire, marking a pivotal moment in human evolutionary history and reshaping our understanding of when hominids first mastered this crucial skill.