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Science 14 August 2009:
Vol. 325. no. 5942, pp. 859 - 862
DOI: 10.1126/science.1175028
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Reports

Fire As an Engineering Tool of Early Modern Humans

Kyle S. Brown,1,2 Curtis W. Marean,2 Andy I. R. Herries,3,4 Zenobia Jacobs,5 Chantal Tribolo,6 David Braun,1 David L. Roberts,7 Michael C. Meyer,5 Jocelyn Bernatchez2

The controlled use of fire was a breakthrough adaptation in human evolution. It first provided heat and light and later allowed the physical properties of materials to be manipulated for the production of ceramics and metals. The analysis of tools at multiple sites shows that the source stone materials were systematically manipulated with fire to improve their flaking properties. Heat treatment predominates among silcrete tools at ~72 thousand years ago (ka) and appears as early as 164 ka at Pinnacle Point, on the south coast of South Africa. Heat treatment demands a sophisticated knowledge of fire and an elevated cognitive ability and appears at roughly the same time as widespread evidence for symbolic behavior.

1 Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa.
2 Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Post Office Box 872402, Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, AZ 85287–4101, USA.
3 UNSW Archaeomagnetic Laboratory and Palaeosciences Laboratory, Integrative Palaeoecology and Anthropology Studies, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Kensington, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
4 Geomagnetism Laboratory, Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L693BX, UK.
5 GeoQuEST Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia.
6 Institut de Recherche sur les Archéomatériaux–Centre de Recherche en Physique Appliquée à l’Archéologie, CNRS-Université de Bordeaux, Maison de l’Archéologie, Esplanade des Antilles, 33607 Pessac, France.
7 Council for Geoscience, Post Office Box 572, Bellville 7535, Republic of South Africa.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Fire and Stone.
J. Webb and M. Domanski (2009)
Science 325, 820-821
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