Researchers at Tel Aviv University have proposed a groundbreaking hypothesis that early humans used fire not only for cooking, but also to preserve meat and protect large game from predators. According to the study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, early humans discovered that smoking and drying meat would prevent spoilage, allowing it to be consumed over time.
The researchers analyzed nine prehistoric sites worldwide, including Gesher Benot Ya’aqov and Evron Quarry in Israel, six sites in Africa, and one site in Spain. They found that all the sites contained large quantities of bones from large animals, which were crucial to early human diets. The meat and fat of a single elephant, for example, contain millions of calories, enough to feed a group of people for a month or more.
The researchers suggest that fire served two vital purposes for early humans: first, to guard the large game from other predators and scavengers seeking to seize the “treasure,” and second, to preserve the meat through smoking and drying, preventing spoilage and making it edible for a long period. This hypothesis fits into a broader unifying theory that explains many prehistoric phenomena based on human dependence on calories derived from large animals.
The study’s findings propose a new understanding of the factors that motivated early humans to begin using fire, which is likely to have led to occasional use of fire for cooking at zero marginal energetic cost. This approach fits well into a global theory developed by the researchers, which explains major prehistoric phenomena as adaptations to the hunting and consumption of large animals followed by their gradual disappearance and the resulting need to derive adequate energy from smaller animals.
The study’s authors believe that this new hypothesis will provide fresh insights into the lives of early humans and challenge current understanding of human origins.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1086138