How Did Ancient Humans Make Fire in Caves? Page all

KOMPAS.com – At least about 400,000 years ago, ancient human Start using the bonfire to survive.

“Fire is used mainly for cooking, heating and roasting meat and it started 400,000 years ago,” said Ran Barkai, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University.

The next step is for these ancient humans to also bring the bonfire inside cave where they live.

The question is, how did these ancient humans make fire in a cave without a fireplace or chimney. The reason is not an easy thing.

Also read: Experts Find Evidence of Early Neanderthals Using Fire to Clear Land

“When starting a fire in an enclosed space, there is a danger of inhaling smoke. And this is not good for health and in many cases it is not even possible for someone to live near a fire because of the smoke,” explained Barkai, as quoted by NPR, Monday (14/2). /2022).

To find out how early humans made it, researchers created a virtual model Cave Lazaret on the French Mediterranean coast.

That place about 170,000 years ago was the home of ancient humans Neanderthal.

Next, researchers placed a simulated 16-point fireplace throughout the cave and studied where the smoke went.

“In the middle of the cave is an ideal place if you want to avoid the smoke as much as possible but still be able to work around the cave,” said Barkai.

According to Barkai, before these ancient humans decided which point to use to make fire, they had already done several times trial and error first.

“Once they enter the cave, they survey first and then decide which part will be used for the kitchen, sleeping area, and so on,” he said.

According to Sarah Hlubik of George Washington University who was not involved in the study, the experiment illustrates how early humans used their intelligence to deal with the climate.

Also read: 12,000 Years Ago, Early Humans Have Used This Advanced Fishing Tool

“It was very cold, not like the south of France as it is today. So they had to make very smart decisions where they lived and how to make use of the space,” Hlubik said.

Interestingly, we can see that Neanderthals made a choice in making use of the cavernous spaces.

“They are as smart as us,” concluded Hlubik.

This study was published in Scientific Reports.

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