Language may have grown alongside firelight. Apes use gesture, and gesture works well when people share no language, so gestural communication is a strong candidate for early human talk. But gestures need light to be seen, and after dark firelight is too dim for detailed signing. Fireside storytelling would therefore have pushed people toward speech while keeping gestures for emphasis. Stories have complex structures and refer to things that are absent, past or imaginary, which speech handles well. The authors also note that firelight's colour suits human vision without suppressing melatonin, and that its flicker can synchronise people's rhythms, supporting shared bonding.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.