Scientists find oldest known evidence of humans in Europe using fires to cook

The team say chemical analyses suggested the fires had burned at temperatures between about 280C and 350C, the ‘sweet spot’ for cooking. Photograph: Afripics/Alamy

Prehistoric humans in Europe might have been sitting round campfires built to toast snacks as early as 250,000 years ago – 50,000 years earlier than originally thought, researchers have suggested.

Human species have a long association with fire, with some sites suggesting its controlled use dates back more than 700,000 years in Africa and the Middle East and at least 400,000 years in Europe.