Humans apparently started using fire as part of their daily routine only 350,000 to 320,000 years ago during the Middle Pleistocene period, according to new findings using flint debris found in a cave in Israel.

The study supports evidence of the discovery of fire by humans one million years ago

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A team led by Ron Shimelmitz from the University of Haifa inspected flints or stone tools and its debris from rock deposits inside the Tabun Cave high up on limestone cliffs located in Mount Carmel, northern Israel.

Researchers said this cave was inhabited by humans for at least 500,000 years. The findings in the cave allowed scientists to make an intensive analysis of the evolution of the use of fire.

Some 82 feet of sand, silt and clay provided pivotal clues in the dating of human habitation found in layers in the cave.

Different layers revealed flints with varying degrees of exposure to fire. The oldest layers didn't appear scorched or burnt, however. Newer ones were charred black or were reddish in color and were cracked by circular burns.

The team's findings revealed the frequency of the flint burns occurred 350,000 years to 320,000 years ago.

Early humans started fires when they realized the benefits of using it to cook food and as a starting point for social gatherings and interactions, said study lead author Ron Shimelmitz, an archaeologist from the University of Haifa.

The use of fire transitioned from a discovery into an opportunity; to occasional and then to habitual. It's now an inevitable part of modern human living. The origin of the discovery of fire remains unknown, however.

Not only is fire essential in food processing and social contexts, it also played a vital role in the evolution of the larger human brain. Since early humans knew how to produce and control fire, this led to early human migration into colder climates.

This study was published in the Journal of Human Evolution.

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