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🔥 The moment the earliest known human-made fire was uncovered

Archaeology & Antiquity United Kingdom Europe

🔥 The moment the earliest known human-made fire was uncovered
East Farm, Barnham — a Lower Paleolithic breakthrough site in Suffolk


🕐 4 min read · Updated 1 Apr 2026 at 18:06
📋 Fast Facts
  • Located near Barnham, Suffolk, England; dates to approximately 400,000 years ago (Hoxnian Interglacial)
  • December 2025 announcement of oldest definitive evidence of deliberate fire-making in Europe, using pyrite nodules and flint
  • Resolved the "Clactonian versus Acheulean" debate by demonstrating both tool types were made by the same population for different tasks
  • Preserved fauna and flora including straight-tusked elephants, lions, and warm-climate plant and animal species indicating a climate warmer than present-day Britain

East Farm, Barnham, is one of the most significant Lower Paleolithic archaeological sites in the United Kingdom and ...

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