A new study from the University of Trento has traced the earliest evidence of fire being used on human remains in Italy, showing that the practice was already present in the north of the peninsula during the Early Neolithic period — around 7,000 years ago.

Since humans first learned to control fire, it has served countless purposes: protection, cooking, warmth, metalworking, and social gathering. Yet beyond its practical uses, fire has always carried a powerful symbolic and spiritual meaning, often connected with death and transformation.

The research, published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, reveals that even in early Neolithic communities, fire was employed to alter human remains — long before formal cremation rituals became widespread. What sets this study apart is its broad, multidisciplinary approach and its re-evaluation of previous interpretations.

“Earlier scholars often assumed that burnt bones automatically indicated cremation rituals,” the researchers explain. “However, we believe cremation should only be defined as such when it represents a deliberate, shared, and structured ceremony aimed at burning the body’s soft tissues through controlled fire.”

The investigation began at the archaeological site of Lugo di Grezzana, near Verona, and later expanded to other regions. According to the team, this practice first appeared in Apulia around the sixth millennium BCE, before spreading northward through central Italy and reaching the Po Valley during the Early Neolithic.