New Delhi, Dec. 11 -- Archaeologists have made a major discovery in Suffolk, England. Two small pieces of pyrite were found in an old clay pit near Barnham. This is the oldest evidence of controlled fire use by humans.

The inch-long mineral chunks show that early humans were deliberately starting fires at this spot 4 lakh years ago. This is significantly earlier than the known Neanderthal use of fire, which occurred around 50,000 years ago.

Pyrite creates sparks when struck with flint. The pieces were found with other signs of a hearth, including baked clay and two flint hand axes that had heat fractures.

Fire helped early humans cook food, which boosted brain growth, kept them warm, and facilitated the sharing of knowledge. Researcher...