Evidence of Hominin Use and Maintenance of Fire at Zhoukoudian

New evidence confirms that Homo erectus pekinensis at Zhoukoudian Locality 1 used and maintained fire, challenging decades of skepticism. A comprehensive review of original field notes, excavation reports, and research papers, alongside ongoing investigations since 2009, reveals abundant, unambiguous traces of fire use in Layer 4. These findings, supported by geochemical and taphonomic analyses, suggest that early hominins at this UNESCO World Heritage Site possessed advanced subsistence capabilities. Future research may extend these discoveries to Layers 8–9 and 10, potentially resolving the long-standing debate surrounding hominin fire use in East Asia.

Gao, X., Zhang, S., Zhang, Y., & Chen, F. (2017). Evidence of Hominin Use and Maintenance of Fire at Zhoukoudian. Current Anthropology, 58(S16), S267–S277. https://doi.org/10.1086/692501