Traces of wood ash uncovered next to fragments of animal bones and stone tools in South African caves are the earliest known evidence of human ancestors using fire.
The findings suggest the art of making fire may have begun among species as primitive as Homo erectus, the first early humans to become hunter-gatherers.
The relics were found at the Wonderwerk Cave, a well-known archaeological site near the edge of the Kalahari Desert holding a wide range of evidence of early human occupation.
University of Toronto and Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers found the traces of ashed plant remnants and charred fragments of bone preserved in million-year-old sediment.
Both the ash and bone appeared to have been burned at the site, rather than be blown into the cave by wind or washed in by water, they reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
Michael Chazan, co-director of the project, said: "The analysis pushes the timing for the human use of fire back by 300,000 years, suggesting that human ancestors as early as Homo erectus may have begun using fire as part of their way of life.
"The control of fire would have been a major turning point in human evolution. The impact of cooking food is well documented, but the impact of control over fire would have touched all elements of human society. Socialising around a camp fire might actually be an essential aspect of what makes us human."