See Physical Anthropology, 6th edition, Chapter 17, pages 452-463; Physical Anthropology: The Core, 2nd edition, Chapter 12, page 313.
Paleoanthropologists who are interested in the spread of hominids into northern latitudes recognize the importance of the controlled use of fire. Early hominids were tropical animals, and any movement northward depended to a degree on the `ìPity to utilize fire for warmth during the winter months. Fire also played major roles in hunting and tool making. Several archaeologists have suggested that fire may date to around one million years ago, but the earliest accepted evidence for the controlled use of fire dates to around 400,000 years ago at the site of Zhoukoudian, China.
During the original excavations in the late 1920s and 1930s, investigators found pieces of burnt bone, antler, horn cores and pieces of wood along with burned bäDs. In 1996 and 1997, archaeologists reexamined Layer 10 at Zhoukoudian, the older of the archaeological layers at the site, and recovered 278 bone fragments, seven of which appeared burned, that they analyzed for evidence of fire. Geological material was also sampled.
The new analysis, utilizing several modern analytic techniques, found no evidence for the controlled use of fire. The few bones that were burned could have been burned naturally. There was no evidence of burned wood or hearths.
Because of these results there are no confirmed sites with evidence of controlled fires earlier than 300,000 years ago, and there is no evidence of fire associated with Homo erectus. This could mean that the migration of H. erectus into northern regions was accomplished without the use of fire.
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Reference: S. Weiner et al., "Evidence for the Use of Fire at Zhoukoudian, China," Science, 281 (10 July 1998), 251-253.
