Gonzales 1

Kimberly Gonzales

Prof. Nielson

Anthropology 1

12-06-2018

Evidence of Fire Usage at Zhoukoudian

Since the 1930s, scientists believed Homo erectus pekinensis—found at the

Zhoukoudian cave system (ZKD) site in China—had the ability to control fire. This

article, appearing in the journal Current Anthropology, gives a brief history of the

discoveries at ZKD related to early man and fire control capability and provides an

in-depth overview & analysis of the evidence supporting the claim that Homo

erectus controlled fire. The article also mentions a period of skepticism in the mid

1980s in which scholars questioned this claim (Goa et al., 267).

The author begins by explaining the structure of ZKD which is divided into

13 excavated stratigraphic layers. Since the discovery of the cave, researchers have

used various methods to date these layers—each yielding different results. For

example, in the 1980s scientists used fission-track dating and estimated Layer 10

formed 462 +- 45 KYA. Years later, in 2009, scientists used 26Al/10Be burial dating

and determined Layer 10 formed much earlier 770 kya. Of course, accurately dating

these layers is essential in order for researchers to use relative dating to determine

the age of any items found within those layers.

Since excavation began at ZKD, thousands of evidence ranging from burnt

stones, seeds, bones, and ash accumulation to indicate Homo erectus handled fire.
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For decades, scholars considered the items found at ZKD the earliest evidence of fire

use by man. It was not until 2012, when other such evidence that dated older was

found in other parts of the world, that this was no longer thought to be true.

Gao et al., takes us back to the beginning of anthropological interest in ZKD,

Locality 1. In 1930, charred items found in the cave were brought to Paris for

testing. The test results indicated that these items were burned in situ—at

zhoukoudian—as a result of human activity. The evidence was so convincing that it

led Davison Black, one of the original researchers, to proclaim, “It is thus clear

beyond reasonable doubt that Sinanthropus knew the use of fire” (Gao et al., 269).

Though the evidence suggests the Homo erectus inhabitants of ZKD knew how to

control and, to a degree, maintain fire, it did not indicate that they knew how to

make fire. Testing with more advanced technology in the 1980’s provided additional

support of high-temperature burning during the period when Layer 10 was forming.

According to Gao et al., other scholars voiced strong support of the evidence, finding

it “clear, strong, and internally consistent” (Gao et al., 270).

The article shifts its focus to researchers who have come to different

conclusions about the evidence found at ZKD. Most notable of these are the

researchers Binford and Ho who published a paper with their own taphonomic

analysis of the items found at ZKD. They doubted the connection between the stone

tools and the hominin fossils both found in near proximity at ZKD. Moreover, they

theorized that the hominin fossils discovered at ZKD were brought there by

carnivores like hyenas. As for the accumulated ash and char, Binford and Ho suggest

these were droppings left by animals like owls and bats. Published in 1985, Binford
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and Ho’s paper represented a shift in the way certain researchers approached the

evidence uncovered in ZKD. Goa et al. mention a few other published papers in line

with the Binford and Ho paper that question whether Homo Erectus had the

capability to control fire (Goa et al., 271).

After discussing these contrasting viewpoints, the article lists new

discoveries found at ZKD and new techniques used by researchers to further

investigate fire use, if any, within the cave system by early man. One particularly

interesting method used to determine whether or not a fire hearth was built inside

ZKD, utilized Magnetic Susceptibility and Color Measurement techniques.

Researchers focused on an area in the cave that contained a large amount of ash.

They discovered that the sediment had an extremely high level of magnetic

susceptibility and redness—a sign that there once existed a fire there hotter than

what could result from a natural, unassisted fire. This fire must have burned at a

high temperature for a prolonged amount of time, affecting the iron in the sediment

and, ultimately, its magnetic susceptibility and color. Thus, the test results seem to

indicate the existence of some kind of hearth.

Wrapping up the article, Goa weighs the new evidence against Binford & Ho’s

paper and others skeptical of Homo erectus’s use of fire. He contends that Binford

did not spend enough time at the site (he only observed it for a half day) to form an

“unbiased and precise” (Goa et al., 275) theory. The main weakness in Binford’s

argument is that it “denies or simply neglects” compelling evidence. Therefore, Goa

rejects his theory. While Goa does believe there is enough supporting evidence to

conclude that Homo erectus did in fact control and— at least to a degree—maintain
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fire, he does concede that there is a need for a clear cut, objective, feasible way to

evaluate evidence (Goa et al., 274).

In conclusion, this article relates to the class in five ways. It discusses the

capabilities of the Homo Erectus species of hominin. The article also briefly

describes differing theories regarding their use of Acheulean stone tools.

Moreover, relative dating techniques were used by various teams of researchers to

determine the age of the items found at the site relative to the layers of sediment at

ZKD. Scholars used the science of taphonomy (the study of how organic material

fossilizes and decays) to analyze and derive clues and formulate theories about the

evidence found. Lastly, the Zhoukoudian cave system was a subject discussed in

depth both in class and in this article. This paper did a great job of expanding on

concepts learned in class. Most importantly, it shows how evidence can be

interpreted in vastly dissimilar ways; yielding starkly different theories. This is a

fundamental concept in the study of anthropology and underpins all of the sciences.

Works Cited

Goa, Xing, et al. “Evidence of Hominin Use and Maintenance of Fire at