Scientists have long believed that fire played a crucial role in the survival of early humans during the Ice Age. However, surprisingly little well-preserved evidence of fire use from this period has been found.
A recent study published in Geoarchaeology reveals that ancient humans in Europe built different types of hearths and used mainly wood as fuel, but possibly also bones and fat, to control their fires. The researchers analyzed three hearths at a prehistoric site in Ukraine, which showed that people were able to master fire control even under extreme environmental stresses.
One interesting finding was that these ancient fires reached temperatures of over 600°C, demonstrating sophisticated pyrotechnics mastery. However, the analysis also suggested that humans used wood as their primary fuel source during the peak of the Ice Age.
The researchers found that two out of the three fireplaces they analyzed were open and flat, with one being larger and thicker, indicating higher temperatures. The study suggests that ancient humans were able to control their fires in different ways depending on the purpose of the fire and the season.
The discovery of these sophisticated fire control techniques raises more questions than answers, including whether most evidence was destroyed by ice-age-typical soil freezing and thawing or if people simply didn’t find enough fuel during this period.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-04-sophisticated-pyrotechnology-ice-age-humans.html