We’ve had fire for longer than we thought

Cave sediment in South Africa suggests Homo erectus used fire nearly 1.8 million years ago

A fenced-off cave entrance

New evidence of early fire use comes from South Africa's Wonderwork Cave, which was inhabited by groups of Homo erectus between 1.8 million and 900,000 years ago.

Michael Chazan

Archaeologists have discovered traces of fires built up to 1.8 million years ago in a cave in southern Africa.