Evidence of early use of fire dug up at Pinnacle Point

archaeologists working at the pinnacle point caves in mossel bay have discovered evidence that early modern humans used fire to engineer tools from stone 72000 years ago.

prior to work at pinnacle point, heat treatment was widely regarded as first having occurred in europe about 25000 years ago.

“our illumination of the heat treatment process shows that these early modern humans commanded fire in a nuanced and sophisticated manner,” field and lab director at the mossel bay dig, kyle brown, said.

“we show that early modern humans 72000 years ago, and perhaps as early as 164000 years ago in coastal south africa, were using carefully controlled hearths in a complex process to heat stone and change its properties.”

co-author and pinnacle point project director prof curtis marean said heat treatment technology began with a “genius moment” when someone discovered that heating stone made it easier to flake.

the heating transformed stone, called silcrete, which was poor for tool-making, into an outstanding raw material that allowed the cave dwellers to make highly advanced tools.

brown’s research involves replicating the types of tools and production debris found at pinnacle point.

in 2007, brown and marean found a large piece of silcrete embedded in ash at pinnacle point.

brown said many of the silcrete tools had a sheen on them which reminded him of north american heat-treated tools, which led the archaeologists to their theory that the cave dwellers used heat to make their stone tools.

to test their theory, brown placed some of the silcrete stone beneath their fire pit one evening, building a hot fire over the top.

“when i returned to dig the stone out the following day, the results were amazing. after heating, the silcrete became a deep red colour and was easily flaked ... using heated silcrete, we were then able to produce realistic copies of the actual silcrete tools.”

brown said this was the beginning of fire and engineering, and formed a “bridge to more recent ceramic and metal technology”.

“this expression of cognitive complexity in technology by these early modern humans on the south coast of south africa provides further evidence that this locality may have been the origin location for the lineage that leads to all modern humans, which appeared between 100000 and 200000 years ago in africa,” marean said.

janine oelofse