Fire

When Did Humans Discover Fire? The Answer Depends on What You Mean By 'Discover'

A Boy Blowing on a Firebrand to Light a Candle, by Godfried Schalcken, 1692 - 1698. Oil on canvas. Purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund 1989" . (Photo by National Galleries Of Scotland/Getty Images)

National Galleries of Scotland/Getty Images

By ANDREW C. SCOTT

June 1, 2018

Fire is one of the most important forces on Earth. The use of fire by humans has long been considered as a defining property of intelligence, separating us from other animals. The exact timing of the discovery and use of fire by humans has been a subject of continuing research, yet perhaps two questions have, until now, received little attention: What was fire on Earth like before humans appeared? And what experience of fire could early humans have had?/.../