# Earliest clay kilns found



## Brian G Turner (Oct 20, 2004)

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest clay "fireplaces" made by humans at a dig in southern Greece.   The hearths are between 34,000 and 23,000 years old and were almost certainly used for cooking by prehistoric inhabitants of the area. 

  Researchers found remnants of wood ash and phytoliths - a type of plant cell - in these hearths and lab tests show the clay was burnt. 

  The study appears in the latest edition of the scholarly journal Antiquity. 

  The discovery helps to bridge the gap between the stone hearths built by earlier people and the clay kilns known to have been used 28,000-26,000 years ago at the site of Dolni Vestonice in the Czech Republic. 

  The clay hearths were excavated by a European-Israeli team at Klisoura Cave 1 located in a gorge in the north-western Peloponnese. 



Kiln's 'ancestor' found in Greece


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## Morning Star (Oct 20, 2004)

What's always amazed me, is how they came to the decision that food could/should be cooked. It's healthier in that kills off a lot of bacteria, but surely it must have been a change for their digestive systems? That's always made me think.


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## kyektulu (Aug 12, 2005)

Yes humans started cooking meat because it is easier and quicker for them to chew and digest. So instead of taking hours for them to consume thier food they had more time to hunt thus they were fed better.
I was watching a program on this a few weeks ago on National Geographic apparently cooking the food prevented alot of illness' so humans were healthier and there was no problem becoming accustomed to cooked food.


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