Final answer:
Definitive evidence of human control of fire is from about 125,000 years ago, with older sites like the one in Israel showing continuous use dating to around 780,000 years ago. Earlier species like Homo erectus also used fire about 1.7-2.0 million years ago. Mastery of fire was crucial for human evolution, culture, and expansion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Definitive evidence of human control of fire dates to approximately 125,000 years ago. This is a subject of much academic debate, and while there are earlier claims for the usage of fire, it was around this time that modern humans had clearly learned to start and control fires. Noteworthy, the oldest continuous fire site for Homo heidelbergensis is from Israel and is dated to around 780,000 years old, indicating a long history of fire usage by human ancestors.
Our ancestors, including species like Homo erectus, were using fire at least around 1.7-2.0 million years ago (MYA), as suggested by evidence like ancient hearths and charred animal bones found in sites such as Zhoukoudian, China. However, the ability to deliberately start and maintain fires was a major step in human evolution and is typically associated with Homo sapiens, dating back to the Hunter-Gatherer Phase of our species.
Fire has played a critical role in human survival and expansion, affecting everything from cooking and warmth to landscape management and cultural practices, as demonstrated by the Tasmanian Aborigines' reliance on fire. The discovery and mastery of fire is considered one of the pivotal achievements of Stone Age humans, influencing the development of human culture and civilization significantly.