Researchers studying a cave in South Africa have found evidence that could push the record of ancient fire use back hundreds of thousands of years.
The findings come from Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, a site that has produced some of the oldest known evidence of human activity. The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
Researchers uncover evidence in a deeper cave layer
Previous excavations at Wonderwerk Cave revealed signs of fire use about one million years ago. Researchers based that conclusion on burnt animal bones, heat-altered stone tools, and burned sediments found in a layer known as Stratum 10.
In the new study, archaeologists examined an older layer called Stratum 11. There, they found small mammal bones that showed signs of exposure to heat.
To determine the age of the deposits, researchers analyzed cave sediments using magnetostratigraphy and cosmogenic burial dating. Together, the two methods indicated that the remains were deposited between 1.07 million and 1.79 million years ago.
If confirmed, the discovery could represent the oldest evidence yet found for the use of fire by early humans.
New technique helps identify burned bones
Researchers used a method known as bone luminescence to confirm that the fossils had been exposed to fire.
The technique involves shining high-energy blue light onto fossilized bones under a microscope. Burned bones respond by glowing bright red when viewed through a specialized filter. This allows scientists to detect evidence of heating that may not be visible through traditional examination methods.
Researchers at South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave have uncovered burned animal bones dating between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago. If confirmed, the discovery could represent the oldest known evidence of fire use by early humans.#Archaeology #HumanEvolution #Anthropology #Science pic.twitter.com/PJX3doqUVa
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026
The analysis showed that several of the bones from Stratum 11 had been subjected to high temperatures.
Researchers also ruled out wildfires as the likely source of the burning. The fossils were discovered about 30 meters (98 feet) from the cave entrance, deep inside the cave, and beyond the reach of flames from natural fires outside.
Findings suggest repeated fire use
The study does not show that early humans could make fire whenever they wanted. It also does not provide evidence for routine cooking. Instead, the findings suggest that groups occupying the cave may have repeatedly carried fire into the site and managed it there.
Researchers said the pattern and distribution of burned bones in both Stratum 10 and Stratum 11 point to multiple combustion events rather than a single accidental fire.
Because evidence of ancient fire use is often difficult to distinguish from natural burning, the question of when humans first controlled fire remains one of archaeology’s most debated topics. The new findings add important evidence to that discussion and provide a deeper look into the behavior of some of humanity’s earliest ancestors.
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