Surprise about how ancient people used fire in caves without suffocating smoke

Archaeological data were collected at Lazaret cave in France. This place is also the first place where prehistoric people lived in the Paleolithic period. Excavations have demonstrated that "cave dwellers" have chosen the same sites over the centuries to house furnaces for their communities. This indicates that their choice is purely based on computational logic, not randomness.

Excavation image at Lazaret cave, France.

Through studies, archaeologists at Tel Aviv University were able to confirm the validity of this theory. Prehistoric people chose fire sites based on the knowledge they had about the properties and properties of fire. They made fires at suitable locations to maintain a comfortable living environment in the cave. A place where they can stay safely and withstand the harsh weather outside.

How to calculate smoke flows in caves

In the past, the study of how smoke moves in caves was extremely manual. To do this, we have to go directly to those caves and make a fire. Then, make calculations and measurements to find out the direction of the smoke. Fortunately, with the development of technology, we have another more effective way.

Accordingly, the scientists used a software model that simulates the dispersion of smoke to reproduce this activity. In this way, scientists at Tel Aviv University were able to accurately calculate the reach of smoke across 16 fictional fire test sites.

The image depicts the dispersion of smoke in the cave.

The smoke followed the roof of the cave and reached the entrance of the cave. The arrow represents the direction of air circulation. The dashed line represents the equilibrium points between the hot and cold air flows.

Through careful calculations, the researchers found a perfect place for a permanent furnace. If a fire is lit here, people can lie down and sleep by the fire any time without worrying about suffocation. This part occupies less than 10% of the 290m2 wide cave and is close to the center of the cave. Without the researchers' help, this part completely coincides with the location of the furnace located in the Lazaret cave.

So what is the main reason why ancient people possess this miraculous ability?

According to the researchers, testing and drawing conclusions is not enough to decide where to place the furnace of prehistoric people. Because if this is true, the archaeological remains must have left the remnants of fire in many random caves. However, we only discovered remnants of fire in specific locations. This proves that fire makers have certain calculations and are consistent in their decisions.

"Our simulations of the smoke density in the Lazaret cave clearly show that Paleolithic people were able to select the perfect locations to build the furnace," the archaeologists wrote. on Scientific Reports. "This ability is a reflection of their experiences, intelligence, and pre-planned actions."

In addition, a prerequisite reason is that humans' strong survival instincts motivate them to learn constantly to find a place to live.