Question

how was fire used in the past

Answer 1

The control of fire by early humans was a turning point in the cultural aspect of human evolution. Fireprovided a source of warmth, protection, improvement on hunting and a method for cooking food. ... Evidence for the controlled use of fireby Homo erectus, beginning some 600,000 years ago, has wide scholarly support.

Answer 2

The control of fire by early humans was a turning point in the cultural aspect of human evolution that allowed humans to cook food and obtain warmth and protection. Making fire also allowed the expansion of human activity into the dark and colder hours of the night, and provided protection from predators and insects. Evidence of widespread control of fire dates to approximately 125,000 years ago and later. Evidence for the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus beginning some 400,000 years ago has wide scholarly support, with claims regarding earlier evidence finding increasing scientific support. Claims for the earliest definitive evidence of control of fire by a member of Homo range from 0.2 to 1.7 million years ago (Mya).