"The control of fire was probably the greatest ever discovery made by man, excepting language" - Charles Darwin
Control of fire has long been regarded as a trait unique to our own species, Homo sapiens. It has only been recently that we have recognised that other ancestral species could also control it; Homo erectus used it, and for Neanderthals, it was a daily part of many of their lives.
This talk discusses my research on one aspect of their fire use, the fuels they were using. As well as coal, bone and dung, Neanderthals burnt many different types of wood, with distinct preferences for particular species.
I attempt to answer these important questions; why were they choosing the fuels they did, and at the end of the day, is their fire use similar to modern human fire use?