Prehistoric humans may have used fire to smoke meat one million years ago, study suggests
Over time, as the availability of large game declined, humans had to adapt to hunting smaller animals and using fire more consistently.
A groundbreaking study by researchers at Tel Aviv University suggests that early humans may have started using fire for a surprising reason: to smoke and preserve meat. According to the study, which was published in Frontiers in Nutrition, this practice could date back as far as one million years.
The research, led by Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Professor Ran Barkai of the university's Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, challenges the long-held assumption that early humans initially used fire primarily for cooking. Instead, the researchers argue that fire served two essential purposes for our ancient ancestors: first, to protect large game from predators and scavengers, and second, to prevent meat from spoiling by smoking and drying it, thus extending its shelf life.
'Fire was a precious resource for early humans, requiring significant effort to gather fuel, ignite, and maintain,' said Dr. Ben-Dor. 'They wouldn't have invested that effort without a strong, energy-efficient reason. Smoking meat was a way to preserve their most important source of calories.'
The study focuses on sites dating from 1.8 million to 800,000 years ago, where evidence of fire use has been found. Researchers reviewed nine such sites worldwide, including two in Israel - Gesher Benot Ya'aqov and Evron Quarry -six in Africa, and one in Spain. Intriguingly, all of these sites also contained the remains of large animals such as elephants, hippos, and rhinoceroses, creatures that would have provided a rich and vital source of nutrition for early humans.
'The meat and fat from a single elephant could feed a group of 20 to 30 people for over a month,' explained Prof. Barkai. 'That's an enormous amount of food that needed protection not just from other predators, but also from spoilage.'
The study fits into a larger theory developed by Ben-Dor and Barkai that connects many prehistoric phenomena, such as tool use and hunting strategies, to early humans' reliance on large animals for survival. Over time, as the availability of large game declined, humans had to adapt to hunting smaller animals and using fire more consistently.
'Once fire was used to protect and preserve meat, it likely also provided opportunities to cook meat,' Barkai added. 'Cooking could have emerged as a byproduct of this initial use, at no extra energetic cost.'
The findings provide a fresh perspective on a question that has long fascinated archaeologists: why did early humans first harness fire? The answer, according to this new research, may lie in the simple need to make the most of a hard-won meal.
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