Playing With Fire

New finds suggest that after a huge ice age about 75,000 years ago, sites in South Africa made tools using a heated silcrete stone. This was 50,000 years earlier than when scientists initially believed fire was used to make weapons. Further studying of this has scientists even concluding that in order to pass this technique from generation to generation, language was created in these societies in order for this skill to be passed on. Professionals believe that this heat rock treatment may have made the tools more likely to shatter instead of making them stronger. This maybe allowed more efficient hunting. When the arrows pierced the skin of the animals the tool would shatter on impact making hunting easier. In addition with the use of heat rock treatment, they were much more likely to be able to better adapt to their environments which allowed them to expand. Along with this, humans designed jewelry in the caves nearby. This jewelry may even be some of the oldest jewelry ever designed on earth.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090813-first-fire-tools_2.html

Matt G.

Period 5