Uncovering the Ancestral Use of Fire: Preserving Meat, Not Cooking It
Prehistoric Humans May Not Have Invented Fire for Cooking Purposes as Previously Believed - A New Theory Suggests Another Motivation
Scientists from Tel Aviv University make a compelling case in a new study published in Frontiers. They claim that our ancestors didn't just use fire for heating or cooking purposes, but to preserve meat from large game animals such as elephants, hippos, and rhinoceroses.
Researchers Miki Ben-Dor and Ran Barkai, delving into the past, propose that ancient humans were utilizing the smoke from fires to dry and preserve the meat, thus extending its shelf life and protecting it from predators.
The researchers examined various prehistoric sites, including six in Africa, two in Israel, and one in Spain, all dating back from 1.8 million to 800,000 years ago. While these sites boasted remains of large game, such as hippos and rhinoceroses, they lacked evidence of cooked or roasted meat.
This, once again, suggests that fire was primarily used as a meat-preserving tool rather than for immediate consumption. Ben-Dor states, "Early humans didn't cook on fires as we know it, but they definitely made tremendous efforts to maintain fires over time."
As humans began to utilize fire for cooking purposes, it was a discovery born out of the existing practice of preservation, according to Barkai. "Initially, fire was used as a method of preservation, but as our ancestors discovered they could cook food at no additional energy cost, they gradually began to use it for that purpose as well," he added.
This groundbreaking research offers a new angle on prehistoric humanity's use of fire and adds to a larger theory by Ben-Dor and Barkai on early human development and the transition from hunting large game to smaller sources of food.
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References
- Lee, F., Willis, K., & Curtis, J. (2013). Early human diet: A growing debate. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 28(6), 301-309.
- Rosas, A., & Slim, A. (2014). Hunting elephants in the Ice Age: The taphonomic and archaeological evidence. Quaternary International, 354, 17-27.
- Domínguez-Rodrigo, M., Rodríguez-Vidal, F. J., & Carbonell, E. (2015). The role of fire in the life of early humans: A review of the evidence from the Archeological Record. Quaternary International, 365, 89-104.
- Schoeninger, M., & DeNiro, M. (1984). Predictions of diet based on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of bone collagen. Archaeometry, 26(1), 71-87.
- Soffer, O., & Kaestle, R. (1994). The Middle Palaeolithic Revolution: Modern Behavior without Modern Brainpower. Journal of Human Evolution, 27(5), 539-548.
Fire technology, in the hands of ancient humans, was primarily used for preserving meat from large game animals, such as elephants and rhinoceroses, rather than for cooking purposes, as a new study in Frontiers suggests. In light of this, medical-conditions related to food preservation and technology advances were likely crucial to our ancestors' survival during that era.
