How Meat Preservation by Smoke May Have Led to the Rise of Fire Use in Early Humans
Long before the days of electricity and fridge freezers, meat was preserved by smoke. A new study suggests the practice could stretch back almost 2 million years, and may even be a primary reason our ancestors started making fires in the first place.
While the generation of flames is inextricably linked with the rise of humans, in the earliest days it would’ve required significant time and effort to ignite and keep fires lit. The benefits of preserving meat may have been a key reason why that time and effort was worth it.
The research, conducted by two researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, builds on previous studies linking human evolution to the hunting of large animals and the shrinking size of those animals over time.
The researchers analyzed nine different historical sites across South Africa, Kenya, Israel, Ethiopia, and Spain. They looked at the sizes of animal remains found at these locations, some of which were almost 2 million years old.
Paleoanthropologist Miki Ben-Dor explains, “The process of gathering fuel, igniting a fire, and maintaining it over time required significant effort, and they needed a compelling, energy-efficient motive to do so. We have proposed a new hypothesis regarding that motive.”
The study suggests that early humans lit fires not just for warmth or immediate cooking but also to preserve large game meat. The energy gains from smoking and drying the meat for long-term consumption would have outweighed the effort needed to maintain the fires.
Furthermore, the presence of fire at these sites coincided with the discovery of large animal remains, indicating a deliberate effort to preserve food. This strategy also helped deter scavengers from stealing the hunted meat.
Archaeologist Ran Barkai notes, “For early humans, fire use was not a given, and at most archaeological sites dated earlier than 400,000 years ago, there is no evidence of the use of fire. Nevertheless, at several early sites, there are clear signs that fire was used, but without burnt bones or evidence of meat roasting.”
The study highlights how the preservation of an ancient elephant could sustain a group of people for up to 3 months, emphasizing the value of preserving large game meat. The findings provide new insights into the factors that motivated early humans to begin using fire.
This research, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, sheds light on how the practice of meat preservation by smoke may have played a crucial role in the development of fire use among our ancestors.
