Our ancestors needed a special skill set to make it from the last ice age they lived. One of them was to utilize the power of fire. However, no well-preserved fireplaces remain in Europe, dating back to the coldest parts of the Ice Age (26, 500 to 19,000 years ago).
Evidence from a prehistoric location on the coast of the Donister River in modern-day Ukraine shows that people living in recent Ice Ages have built different types of furnaces. Although wood served as the main fuel source, it could also be using fat and bone. The survey results were It was published in the journal on April 1st Geography.
Archaeologists believe it Homo sapiens In Europe Upper Paleolithic Age (45,000 to 10,000 years ago) used fire in several different ways.
“The fire wasn’t just about keeping warm. It was also essential for cooking, making tools and social gatherings,” said Philip R. Nigust, a research co-author and archaeologist at the University of Vienna in Austria. said in a statement.
[ Related: Ancient rocks tie Roman Empire’s collapse to a mini ice age. ]
The fire may have been an important part of survival for today’s European ice age hunter-gatherer. But the lack of evidence from the coldest parts of the ice age prevents scientists from saying how.
“We know that fires have spread around this period, but there is little evidence from the height of the ice age,” said William Murfrey, a research co-author and geologist at the University of Algarbe in Portugal. said in a statement.
in New researchthe team analyzed three furnaces excavated at prehistoric sites in Ukraine. Through microstratigraphic analysis, microtransfer and colorimetric analysis, scientists identified three simple flat wooden hearths. Interestingly, the analysis shows one of these The fire has reached over 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius). According to the team, this proves that those who made these fires have a more sophisticated fireworks proficiency despite the harsh environment they lived in.
Humans used wood as their main source of fuel during the peak of the ice age. Charcoal analysis shows that it is especially a spruce tree. However, animal bones and fats may also be used to burn fires.
“Some of the animal bones found on the site were burned in the fire at temperatures above 650 degrees Celsius. [1,202 degrees Fahrenheit]. We are currently investigating whether they are being used as fuel or whether they accidentally burned.” said in a statement.
[ Related: Ice Age hunter-gatherers may have had cheek piercings, even as children. ]
All three fireplaces are open and flat. The team’s analysis suggests that fire use was sophisticated as it is likely that fireplaces were constructed and used in different ways depending on the season. 1 The fireplace is big and thicksuggests that higher temperatures may be reached.
“People had full control over the fire and knew how to use it in different ways depending on the purpose of the fire. However, our results also show that these hunter-gatherers used the same location at different times of the year during their annual migration,” Nigust said.
Despite these new discoveries, many questions remain, especially as to why there is such scarce evidence of fireplaces dating back to the last ice age.
“What is most of the evidence that it was destroyed by the typical alternating freeze and thawing of soil glacial shapes?” asks Murfrey.
“Or during the last glacier maximum, did people not find enough fuel? Did they not use fire and instead rely on other technical solutions?” add nigst.
The team hopes that by understanding more about the role fires play in human evolution, it will reveal how our species will dominate.
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