The oldest clues in the world controlled use of fire for cooking and specifically the fish before 780,000 years Israeli and other scientists have announced what they have found in northern Israel near its shore Jordan River, in an area that was once a lake. This is a large freshwater fish, carp or bream, at least two meters long. So far, the earliest reliable evidence of cooking on fire dates from c. 170,000 years.

Researchers from three Israeli universities (Jewish Jerusalem, Bar Ilan, Tel Aviv), together with scientists from London Natural History Museum as well as German Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, led by an archaeologist Irit Zohar, made a corresponding publication in the journal Ecology and Evolution. “Ecology of nature and evolution”. The discovery of the find, which, however, causes some doubt, took place in the archaeological area. Gesher Benois Yaakov.

The question of when our ancestors started using fire for cooking has been the subject of intense scientific debate and debate for at least a century. The new study highlights, according to the researchers, “the enormous importance of fish in the lives of prehistoric people for their nutrition and economic stability.”

The researchers analyzed fish teeth found in large numbers in the nearby ancient Hula Lake. Studying the structure of tooth enamel crystals, they came to the conclusion that teeth were exposed to temperatures between 200 and 500 degrees Celsius suitable for good roasting (exact cooking method remains unknown) and not for accidental ignition. The people who lived in the area at that time were probably Upright man.

Transition from raw to cooked food was a turning point in human evolution and behavior. Cooking reduces the required energy intake, which allows food to be broken down and digested, thereby freeing up energy for other activities, including mental brain function.

Some scholars consider cooking, especially from fish“quantum” leap in human cognitive development, a key catalyst for the evolution of our ancestors’ brains. Some go so far as to say that people are eating fish. Even today, fish components such as omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and iodine are believed to contribute to brain development.

Researchers also believe that catching and cooking shallow freshwater fish in areas of the Middle East has greatly helped mass “exit” of our ancestors from Africa. It is believed that our ancestors caught the first fish about two million years ago and took control of the fire 1.7 million years ago.

But when exactly they started roasting them on fire remains an open question, since it is difficult to prove that the ancient fire was kindled for cooking, and not just to warm people. Even finding charred animal remains on the hearth does not necessarily mean that they were cooked, because our ancestors could simply eat them raw by the fire and then throw the rest of the food into the coals.

With information from APE-MPE.