Archaeology

Neandertals mastered fire-making tools 400,000 years ago

Human relatives struck sparks with iron pyrite and flint far earlier than previously known

An illustration shows a pair of hands striking a stone tool to make sparks that scatter into the dark background.

The first known method of producing fire (illustrated) involved striking a lump of the mineral iron pyrite against the edge of a jagged piece of flint.

Craig Williams/The Trustees of the British Museum

By Jay Bennett

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