When you think about Italy and ruins, your mind’s eye automatically brings up scenes of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. However, Italy is home to countless ruins which are actually ancient Greek—many of which remain in stellar condition.

The country’s mainland, as well as the island of Sicily, are dotted with Greek ruins—some of which are integrated into modern-day cities and are still even used to host events! Others can be found in isolated locations well off the beaten path.

Ancient Greek Ruins of Italy

As you travel through Italy, as you really should if you call yourself a well-traveled individual, be sure to say “Opa!” as often as you say “Mamma mia!” The following are just some of the truly jaw-dropping ancient Greek ruins which are scattered throughout the Italian countryside.

Paestum

Located in southern Italy along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in what was then called “Greater Greece” or Magna Graecia, this was a major Greek city in ancient times. The ruins date back to 600 to 450 B.C. and are some of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world!

The three famous ancient Greek temples at this site are of the Doric type, and the ancient city walls and amphitheater are mostly intact. The bottom section of walls from many other structures are completely intact.

It is an amazing experience to be able to walk along the ancient stone-paved roads and view the buildings along the roadsides just as the ancients did. The site is open to the public, and there is a modern national museum on-site for you to check out as well.

Another plus is that this archeological site is well off the beaten path and is seldom crowded with visitors!

Locri Epizefiri

Also on the mainland of Italy, in Reggio di Calabria, you will come across the ancient ruins at Locri. The ancient city has been mostly taken over by the encroachment of the nearby towns.

However, the area is very much worth a visit because the atmosphere quiets as you pass through shady olive groves and meander along the overgrown pathways. It is here where you will inevitably, and literally, stumble across a treasure of ancient ruins.

Greek temples, amphitheaters, and the well-known Sanctuary of Persephone grace the Locri area. The magical experience is truly something you shouldn’t miss out on.

On the island of Sicily, some truly remarkable ruins are yours to explore, starting with the still-used ancient Greek Theater of Taormina!

The Ancient Greek Theater of Taormina

With the beautiful Mediterranean sea lapping at the shores below and the active volcano of Etna looming over the city, Taormina is an upscale destination, featuring cultural events, museums, and priceless antiquities—right in the middle of a bustling city!

Here you will find an ancient Greek amphitheater with exquisite views of both the volcano and the sea. While there, you might even be lucky enough to see a show at the ancient theater. It was originally built in 300’s B.C. and subsequently rebuilt by the Romans in the second century B.C.

Valle dei Templi in Agrigento

In Argrigento, you will be treated to refreshing views of expansive fields and woodlands—as well as one of the most pristine ancient Greek ruins in existence in the Valle dei Templi (the Valley of Temples).

Many of the temples and ruins here are not fenced off, so travelers may walk inside and be transported back to the fifth century B.C., when the Greeks first built the ancient city of Akragas. One of the most well-preserved Greek temples in the world, the Temple of Concord, is in this valley.

Segesta Archaeological Site

Segesta is located only 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Palermo. Fortunate travelers here can visit what is perhaps the second most well-preserved temple in the world after those in the Valle dei Templi. Segesta also boasts a beautiful amphitheater, situated atop Mount Barbaro, which is also in pristine condition.

The temple dates back to the fifth century B.C. and has typical Doric architecture. Each summer the ancient amphitheater hosts a series of classical Greek dramas performed in Italian. If you’re lucky enough to visit during the summertime, be sure to catch a show.

Ancient Greek Colony in Siracusa

A favorite for all are the ancient ruins at Siracusa (Syracuse), where the ancient Greek colony dates back to the 5th century B.C. This area boasts a Greek theater and the Temple of Apollo, which dates back to the 6th century. Siracusa also has the ruins of the famous Altar of Hieron II—the largest altar from ancient Greece!

Located on the southeastern coast of Sicily and founded by ancient Greeks from Corinth, the city of Siracusa was once one of the most powerful city-states of ancient times. It was once described by the Roman orator Cicero as “the greatest Greek city, and the most beautiful of them all.”

Siracusa is so rich in historical treasures that it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Of course, there are many other Greek ruins that you will come across in your travels through Italy and Sicily, and we have merely scratched the surface in highlighting some of the more popular and well-preserved sites.

Be sure to work a little bit of Greek history into your itinerary on your visit to Italia!

People flee historic district of ancient city after airstrikes hit residential areas and damage archaeological sites

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Israel has bombed the city of Tyre, killing eight and injuring at least 32 people, and struck dozens of other villages in south Lebanon as it issued forced evacuation orders for the historic Christian quarter of the ancient city for the first time.

Israel struck the al-Masaken neighbourhood without warning on Tuesday morning, sending smoke plumes high above the city’s buildings and igniting fires. Further airstrikes were carried out across the city and a series of bombings hit Abbasieh, a village north of Tyre.

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© Photograph: Kawant Haju/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kawant Haju/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kawant Haju/AFP/Getty Images

Researchers have confirmed that an underwater helmet hoard off Spain’s eastern coast near Benicarló is medieval rather than Ancient Roman as long assumed. The finding places the collection in the late 14th to early 15th century, during a period of intense maritime conflict along the Valencian coast.

The study was led by Manuel Frallicciardi, a doctoral student jointly supervised by the University of Alicante and the University of Salerno, and published in the journal Antiquity. It marks the first time radiocarbon dating has been applied to iron helmets from an underwater site.

Divers recovered the helmets in 1990 from Piedras de la Barbada, a submerged site about six meters (20 feet) deep near Benicarló in eastern Spain. At least forty-three helmets were identified. Split between two institutions, most of the helmets are stored at the Museu de Belles Arts de Castelló, while two conserved ones are on display at the Museo de la Ciudad de Benicarló.

Because the site had also yielded Roman-era artifacts, including ancient amphorae and Punic War-era bronze helmets, early researchers assumed the iron helmets belonged to the same ancient period.

Fabric linings within helmets unlocked dating mystery

Frallicciardi and his team found organic evidence trapped inside the helmets. Marine sediment had sealed fabric linings in place, protecting them from full decay. The fibers, identified as plant-based bast material in a plain tabby weave, were sent to the Beta Analytic laboratory in Miami and the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archaeometrie in Mannheim, Germany.

Four of the five radiocarbon results clustered between the last quarter of the 14th century and the early 15th century. One sample returned a date roughly 150 years later than the rest. Researchers linked this to post-depositional contamination. That helmet sat in a more exposed position, and microscopic analysis showed its fibers were more degraded, conditions that could allow younger carbon to infiltrate the sample.

Spain’s underwater helmet hoard links to medieval piracy era

The helmets fall into two types. Most have rounded skull caps with a central ridge, resembling simplified infantry helmets documented in medieval sources, including the Holkham Bible from around 1330 to 1340 and a fresco painted by Jacopo Uccello around 1378. One helmet has a six-panel faceted construction comparable to a kettle hat depicted in a 1437 altarpiece by Hans Multscher.

Frallicciardi noted the helmets predate the era when large Italian and German workshops standardized European armor production. Their simple construction points to smaller regional workshops supplying local infantry markets. The historical context strengthens that picture. From the 1370s onward, Islamic piracy along the Valencian coast intensified sharply, peaking in the final decades of the 14th century.

Communities responded by building coastal towers, fortifying settlements, and mobilizing local militias. Researchers believe the helmets were most likely lost at sea during this period of sustained maritime insecurity.

Archaeologists in Denmark are recreating a puzzling Iron Age feature to understand better its purpose more than 2,500 years after it was built. Known as hulbælter in Iron Age, or “hole belts,” the structures consist of long rows of shallow pits that stretch across the landscape.

Dating to around 500–300 B.C., some extend for hundreds of meters, while others run for several kilometers. Researchers have identified nearly 50 examples across Denmark, particularly in central and western Jutland. Despite decades of study, archaeologists still do not know exactly why the pits were dug.

Hole belts remain one of Denmark’s oldest mysteries

The pits are not graves, ordinary postholes, or waste pits. Instead, they form organized belts three to six meters (9.8 to 19.6 feet) wide, with individual holes typically measuring only 30 to 40 centimeters (0.98 to 1.3 feet) deep.

Similar features have been reported in Sweden and the Netherlands, but they are far more common in Denmark. Their unusual layout suggests they were built for a specific purpose rather than as isolated features.

To investigate, researchers at the Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen have launched a large-scale experimental archaeology project.

Researchers rebuild an Iron Age landscape

Led by associate professor Henriette Lyngstrøm, the project brings together 30 archaeology students at Sagnlandet Lejre, an open-air research center and reconstructed Iron Age village.

The team is rebuilding a hole belt from scratch using reconstructed tools and ancient techniques. Researchers are measuring the time, effort, and coordination needed to create the features. The goal is to move beyond theory and test how the belts may have functioned in everyday life.

Digging reveals the scale of Iron Age labor

One part of the project focuses on reconstructed wooden spades based on Iron Age finds. Archaeologists once thought some of these tools may have been paddles. However, traces of soil, stones, and wear patterns suggest they were used for digging.

Archaeologists in Denmark are recreating mysterious 2,500-year-old Iron Age "hole belts" to uncover their purpose.

Were they defensive barriers, storage pits, boundary markers, or something else entirely?#Archaeology #IronAge #Denmark #AncientHistory pic.twitter.com/o3ZrDywejZ

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

Tests showed that wooden spades could create the pits, but the work was slow and physically demanding. The tools also required frequent sharpening.

The findings indicate that constructing long hole belts would have required planning, organization, and coordinated labor. Researchers say such projects likely involved leadership and cooperation within Iron Age communities.

Food storage theory gets a real-world test

Researchers also examined whether some pits could have been used for storage. Graduate student Angelyn Sørensen placed a chicken inside a ceramic jar buried in a reconstructed pit. On a day when air temperatures reached about 20 degrees Celsius, the meat warmed only slightly, rising from around 10 to 12 degrees.

The results suggest that covered pits could help moderate temperatures, although the experiment does not prove a storage function.

Experiments test the defensive barrier theory

The strongest results came from tests of the defensive theory. Earlier studies showed that sheep and cattle could cross similar pit zones without difficulty. However, when researchers staged mock combat exercises, the pits made movement more difficult for attackers.

Participants struggled to maintain balance, move quickly, and fight while crossing the uneven terrain.

Researchers stress that no single explanation has been confirmed. Still, the experiments show that the hole belts were carefully planned features that required labor, organization, and a clear purpose. Their exact role remains uncertain, but the project is bringing archaeologists closer to understanding one of Denmark’s most enduring Iron Age mysteries.

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a Roman basilica at Tusculum, an ancient city located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Rome, dating it back to the 2nd century B.C.

The discovery places the structure among the oldest known examples of Roman public basilica architecture, adding a significant piece to the puzzle of how Rome shaped its cities during the Republican era.

Researchers from the Spanish School of History and Archaeology in Rome, known as EEHAR-CSIC, made the find in the southern part of Tusculum’s forum. The forum served as the political and social heart of the city.

The basilica had remained hidden beneath later imperial-era structures for centuries. Antonio Pizzo, who leads the project, said the building is one of the earliest known examples of its type and joins a small, well-documented group of Republican basilicas.

Inside Tusculum’s ancient Roman basilica and its rare design

The structure measured 17.7 by 25.2 meters (58 by 82.7 feet). Its monumental facade featured a series of arches resting on nine flat pilasters, an architectural arrangement known as the “Theatermotiv.”

Pizzo noted that if researchers confirm this interpretation, it would mark the first time this design appears in Roman architecture. Until now, this style had only been identified in later, exceptional buildings such as the Tabularium in Rome.

Among the most striking finds was a polychrome stucco capital discovered inside one of the building’s rooms. It depicts a female head rising from a cup of acanthus leaves, flanked by Ionic scrolls and floral motifs painted in white, red, and green.

The timing of the basilica’s construction aligns with the rise of powerful families from Tusculum, including the Mamilia, Fulvia, and Porcia clans.

The Porcia family produced Marcus Porcius Cato, famous for his repeated calls to destroy Carthage before the Third Punic War. Pizzo said these families drove a wave of monumental construction that went hand in hand with Rome’s growing power across the Mediterranean.

Powerful families and a Roman general add historical depth

Researchers also linked the site to Marcus Fulvius Nobilior, one of the most influential figures of the 2nd century B.C.

After defeating the Aetolian League in Greece, he returned to Rome with Hellenistic art and treasures. An inscription found at Tusculum confirms that some of that spoil went to his hometown.

Francesco De Stefano, co-author of the study published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, said the discovery contributes valuable knowledge about the origins of this building type and key innovations in Roman public architecture.

The EEHAR-CSIC team has worked at Tusculum continuously since 1994, excavating its forum, theater, and baths. In 2023, they also uncovered a well-preserved marble female statue, with further details expected soon.

A new study suggests that the carved symbols at Göbekli Tepe may have been part of a sophisticated belief system that connected timekeeping, sacred space, death, and the heavens.

Published in the International Journal of Culture and History, the research by Oleksandr Zavalii compares imagery from the famous Vulture Stone at Göbekli Tepe with ritual symbols from the later Trypillia culture of present-day Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania.

The study argues that both societies may have used similar symbolic frameworks to understand the cosmos and organize religious life.

Göbekli Tepe, in southeastern Türkiye, dates to roughly 9600-8200 BCE and is considered one of the world’s earliest monumental ritual centers. Zavalii focuses on several of its carved pillars, particularly Stele 43, known as the Vulture Stone.

Researchers interpret the Vulture Stone as a cosmological map

The monument features birds, snakes, a scorpion, geometric symbols, and a headless human figure. Zavalii argues that the arrangement was deliberate. The upper portion contains bird figures, circles, and abstract signs that may represent celestial forces.

The lower section contains animals and human imagery associated with the earthly world, death, or the underworld. Rather than viewing the carvings as isolated images, the study interprets them as parts of a broader symbolic language.

The Vulture Stone has attracted astronomical interpretations for years. In 2017, researchers Martin Sweatman and Dimitrios Tsikritsis proposed that some animal figures represented constellations and may have recorded events linked to the debated Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.

Did the builders of Göbekli Tepe share cosmological ideas with ancient farmers?

A new study compares the site's famous Vulture Stone with Trypillia ritual symbolism and suggests both cultures may have used same concepts to understand time, sacred space, death and the heavens. pic.twitter.com/hO1lHtUvYu

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

A later study by Sweatman suggested that V-shaped marks on the pillar could represent a lunisolar calendar. However, these interpretations remain controversial.

Researchers associated with the German Archaeological Institute have argued that repeated rebuilding and possible roofing of the structures complicate claims that the site functioned as an open-air observatory.

Numerical patterns may reflect concepts of sacred time

According to Zavalii, Stele 43 contains eleven rectangular symbols, while some circular enclosures at Göbekli Tepe include eleven T-shaped pillars. The repeated appearance of the number may have marked divisions of the year or important intervals between solar events.

Stele 33 provides additional evidence for this interpretation. The pillar contains snake-like figures, animals, and abstract motifs. Zavalii highlights the recurring numbers two, three, eleven, and thirteen, suggesting they may have been associated with concepts such as duality, solar cycles, and lunar rhythms.

In this reading, thirteen snake heads could symbolize the lunar year, while eleven may relate to the organization of solar time. Rather than functioning as a precise calendar, the symbols may have formed part of a sacred system used to represent the passage of time.

Trypillia comparison reveals shared symbolic themes

The study’s most distinctive contribution is its comparison with the Trypillia culture, which flourished thousands of years later in Eastern Europe.

Zavalii points to similarities between Göbekli Tepe’s symbols and Trypillian ritual objects, temple layouts, and ceramic designs. Particular attention is given to the Nebelivka Temple and distinctive “binocular-shaped” ritual artifacts.

The study suggests these forms, along with circular and crescent motifs, may have expressed ideas about duality, seasonal cycles, and sacred time.

The research does not claim a direct cultural connection between the two societies. Instead, it proposes that early farming communities may have developed comparable symbolic solutions for understanding the relationship between the sky, ritual practice, and community life.

Debate over Göbekli Tepe’s meaning continues

Other interpretations of Göbekli Tepe remain influential. Archaeologist Klaus Schmidt and later researchers emphasized the site’s role as a ritual gathering place linked to ancestor veneration and communal ceremonies.

Additional studies have connected the site’s headless figures, vulture imagery, and human remains to funerary practices and beliefs about death and transformation. Meanwhile, archaeologist Giulio Magli proposed that some enclosures may have been aligned with the appearance of Sirius in the night sky.

Together, these theories highlight the complexity of Göbekli Tepe. Zavalii’s study adds a new perspective by suggesting that the site’s carvings formed part of a larger symbolic system in which architecture, ritual, memory, and celestial cycles were closely intertwined.

The ancient Greek Acropolises meant very different things to different people across history. A new study finds its symbolic meaning shifted dramatically over centuries, starting as a marker of civic pride and freedom before becoming firmly associated with tyranny and oppression.

Robin Rönnlund, an archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, published the study in the Annual of the British School at Athens. He examined ancient texts from Homer through the second century A.D. and traced how writers, philosophers, and inscription makers actually understood the word “acropolis” across roughly 1,000 years.

The research directly challenges a widely accepted scholarly narrative. For decades, historians described acropolises as prehistoric royal strongholds that were later abandoned and converted into either religious sanctuaries or civilian refuges during attacks.

Scholars built a false narrative around misread Aristotle

Rönnlund traces this narrative back to a misreading of a passage in Aristotle’s Politics, in which Aristotle theorized that acropolises suited oligarchies and monarchies.

Past scholars interpreted this theoretical statement as a historical sequence rather than a practical observation about fortifications, and the misreading quietly shaped academic thinking for generations.

The word itself is also commonly misunderstood. Rönnlund explains “acropolis” does not mean “upper city,” as dictionaries suggest. It more precisely means “the farthest polis” or “the polis on the edge,” and it first appeared in the Odyssey in reference to Troy.

In early Greek poetry, the ancient Greek acropolis carried an unmistakably positive meaning. Simonides described the Acropolis as a symbol of Greek resistance to Persian invaders.

Ancient Greek Acropolis once stood for freedom and pride

Sparta was celebrated as the “acropolis of Greece” in the famous Lysander monument at Delphi. Philosophers extended the metaphor further. Plato called the head the “acropolis of the soul.”

Diocles of Karystos described the mind as a sacred statue placed on the acropolis of the body. These uses reflected strength, protection, and honor.

The meaning turned darker as foreign military occupation became widespread. Ancient sources contain 66 passages linking tyrants to acropolises. Plutarch recorded a warning that Caesar should not be established as “tyrant in the acropolis.”

Macedonian forces turned a civic symbol into oppression

After 322 B.C., Macedonian forces systematically garrisoned acropolises across Greece to keep conquered cities under control. Both Demosthenes and Isocrates described how garrisoned acropolises kept entire regions in submission.

Civilian populations almost never used acropolises as refuges, contrary to popular assumption. The sites lacked sufficient water and supplies for prolonged occupation, and literary sources confirm people typically fled to the walled city below or into the countryside during attacks.

Rönnlund reviewed 133 individual acropolises mentioned in ancient sources and calls for future research combining archaeology, epigraphy, and field surveys to properly reconstruct how these sites functioned in ancient Greek life.

For more than 1,000 years, the Cerne Abbas Giant has stood on a hillside in Dorset, England, surviving wars, epidemics, and centuries of social change. Now, conservationists say increasingly unpredictable weather is threatening the famous chalk figure and forcing an earlier-than-usual restoration effort.

The 55-meter-tall (180-foot) giant, carved into a hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas, is one of Britain’s most recognizable landmarks. The figure depicts a naked man carrying a large club. For generations, residents helped maintain its bright white appearance by filling its outline with fresh chalk.

Today, the site is managed by the National Trust, which has traditionally re-chalked the giant about once every decade. However, conservation teams say changing weather conditions are making that increasingly difficult.

Weather speeds up restoration work

Around 300 staff members and volunteers are taking part in the latest restoration project. The effort involves carrying nearly 17 tons of fresh chalk up the steep hillside and packing it into the giant’s trenches by hand.

Workers first remove old and discolored material before mixing fresh chalk with water to create a paste. The new chalk is then pressed into the outline, helping restore the figure’s distinctive appearance.

The need for faster restoration became clear in 2019 when heavy autumn rainfall washed away much of the newly applied chalk shortly after conservation work had been completed.

England's famous Cerne Abbas Giant has survived for more than 1,000 years. Now, heavier rainfall, algae growth and erosion are forcing conservationists to restore the massive chalk figure earlier than planned. pic.twitter.com/0ShiLZzOYt

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

Conservationists also have concerns about algae growth. Mild, damp winters and warmer summers can create conditions that allow algae to spread across the chalk surface, causing the giant’s bright white outline to appear green and faded.

“In recent years, we’ve noticed algae growth starting to dull the giant’s bright white outline,” National Trust ranger Luke Dawson said.

Dawson cautioned against directly linking the changes to climate trends at a single site. “It’s one of these things we cannot really prove,” he told BBC News. “It is more just observation of what we are seeing up there.”

Researchers continue to debate the Giant’s origins

The Giant’s origins remain one of England’s enduring archaeological mysteries. Over the years, researchers suggested it could represent a prehistoric fertility symbol, the Roman hero Hercules, or even a satirical image of Oliver Cromwell.

Scientific dating has narrowed the timeline considerably. Researchers believe the figure was likely created between 700 and 1100 CE during the late Saxon period.

The Saxon dating has renewed interest in the Hercules theory. In a 2021 study published in the journal Speculum, researchers from the University of Oxford argued that the giant was originally carved as an image of Hercules.

They suggested it may have served as a landmark and gathering point for West Saxon forces during Viking attacks in southern England.

Conservation efforts expand beyond the hillside

The National Trust is also working to protect the landscape surrounding the Giant. A recent fundraising campaign helped secure 130 hectares of nearby grassland containing rare wildlife and important archaeological remains.

“The Giant was never meant to exist in isolation,” National Trust archaeologist Steve Timms said in a press release. He said protecting the surrounding landscape will help researchers better understand how people used and understood the area over thousands of years.

Researchers studying a cave in South Africa have found evidence that could push the record of ancient fire use back hundreds of thousands of years.

The findings come from Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, a site that has produced some of the oldest known evidence of human activity. The study was published in the journal PLOS One.

Researchers uncover evidence in a deeper cave layer

Previous excavations at Wonderwerk Cave revealed signs of fire use about one million years ago. Researchers based that conclusion on burnt animal bones, heat-altered stone tools, and burned sediments found in a layer known as Stratum 10.

In the new study, archaeologists examined an older layer called Stratum 11. There, they found small mammal bones that showed signs of exposure to heat.

To determine the age of the deposits, researchers analyzed cave sediments using magnetostratigraphy and cosmogenic burial dating. Together, the two methods indicated that the remains were deposited between 1.07 million and 1.79 million years ago.

If confirmed, the discovery could represent the oldest evidence yet found for the use of fire by early humans.

New technique helps identify burned bones

Researchers used a method known as bone luminescence to confirm that the fossils had been exposed to fire.

The technique involves shining high-energy blue light onto fossilized bones under a microscope. Burned bones respond by glowing bright red when viewed through a specialized filter. This allows scientists to detect evidence of heating that may not be visible through traditional examination methods.

Researchers at South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave have uncovered burned animal bones dating between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago. If confirmed, the discovery could represent the oldest known evidence of fire use by early humans.#Archaeology #HumanEvolution #Anthropology #Science pic.twitter.com/PJX3doqUVa

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

The analysis showed that several of the bones from Stratum 11 had been subjected to high temperatures.

Researchers also ruled out wildfires as the likely source of the burning. The fossils were discovered about 30 meters (98 feet) from the cave entrance, deep inside the cave, and beyond the reach of flames from natural fires outside.

Findings suggest repeated fire use

The study does not show that early humans could make fire whenever they wanted. It also does not provide evidence for routine cooking. Instead, the findings suggest that groups occupying the cave may have repeatedly carried fire into the site and managed it there.

Researchers said the pattern and distribution of burned bones in both Stratum 10 and Stratum 11 point to multiple combustion events rather than a single accidental fire.

Because evidence of ancient fire use is often difficult to distinguish from natural burning, the question of when humans first controlled fire remains one of archaeology’s most debated topics. The new findings add important evidence to that discussion and provide a deeper look into the behavior of some of humanity’s earliest ancestors.