Early Fire 1 Running head: EARLIEST FIRE USE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Earliest Fire Use in South Africa Author Geography II: Class Professor April 2, 2012

Early Fire 2 Earliest Fire Use in South Africa The earliest evidence of campfires made by humans has been uncovered in a South African cave. The Wonderwerk Cave in north-central South Africa has areas of "well preserved ashed plant material and burned bone fragments deposited in situ on discrete surfaces and mixed within sediment" (Yahoo News, 2012), which is definitive evidence of a controlled burn and not some accidental event, such as a forest fire. Before this find, the earliest sign of human

campfires was found in Israel in the form of scorched pot pieces and dated back 700,000 800,000 years (Yahoo News, 2012). This find puts fire use back to about a million years, when Homo Erectus roamed the earth, occupying it long before Neanderthals (Yahoo News, 2012). "The control of fire would have been a major turning point in human evolution," said University of Toronto anthropologist Michael Chazan, co-director of the project that unearthed the find. "The impact of cooking food is well documented, but the impact of control over fire would have touched all elements of human society. Socializing around a camp fire might actually be an essential aspect of what makes us human." (Yahoo News, 2012).

Early Fire 3 References

Yahoo News. (2012). South Africa cave holds earliest sign of fire-use. Retrieved April 2, 2012 from: http://news.yahoo.com/africa-cave-holds-earliest-sign-fire-study-192810237.html

Early Fire 4 Earliest Fire Use in South Africa I. The geographic importance of finding controlled fire use in early humans is important. A. The signs of early fire in Wonderwerk Cave are amazing. 1. Scientists will look for other signs of advanced humans where the controlled fire areas were found. 2. Scientists should endeavor to look in other places within the cave for signs of further habitation within the cave. B. Advanced early humans migrated south as well as north in Africa. 1. Attention should be directed to the south of Africa for other migratory routes. 2. More signs of advance patterns of living may be found on migratory paths. C. Advanced early humans migrated to South Africa. 1. It had been believed that any humans migrating south were not advanced. 2. Neanderthals were not the only ones capable of controlling fire. II. The geographic importance of the find outside of Africa re-focusses researchers to look south, instead of north. A. Use of controlled fire has been found in Asia. B. Use of controlled fire has been found in Europe. C. Israel used to have the earliest signs of controlled fire use, at 700,000 to 800,000 years ago. III. This event reveals a variety of things about the people, both then and now. A. Fire allows humans to socialize around campfires. B. Fire allows humans to cook food, eliminating germs and aiding in preservation.

Early Fire 5 C. Politics are largely unaffected by this find. D. The economic conditions of the area may improve slightly, as more researchers may come to explore. E. Personal, community and national values are largely unaffected by this find.