One of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in Britain has been made in Suffolk as scientists discover the proof of fire-making by humans 400,000 years ago. Previously, the oldest known evidence of fire-making was from 50,000 years ago in northern France. However, research suggests that humans were making fire 350,000 years earlier than previously known. The find was made at a disused clay pit near Barnham, Suffolk , between Thetford and Bury St Edmunds.

Professor Nick Ashton, curator of Palaeolithic Collections at the British Museum, said it was the “most exciting discovery of my 40-year career”. Fire-cracked flint hand axes and heated sediments were found at the Barnham site alongside two fragments of iron pyrite – a mineral used to strike sparks with flint. Geological stu

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