Knowledge Tree
Homo erectus
Also known as: H. erectus
Facts (63)
Sources
Homo erectus, our ancient ancestor | Natural History Museum nhm.ac.uk 47 facts
claimHomo erectus possessed a large face compared to modern humans.
accountHomo erectus was named in 1893 as Anthropopithecus erectus, renamed Pithecanthropus erectus in 1894, and finally named Homo erectus in 1950, following its 1891 discovery.
claimThe name 'Homo erectus' means 'upright human'.
claimA prominent brow ridge was present over the eye sockets of Homo erectus, reaching its maximum size in some specimens.
claimThe broad geographic range of Homo erectus may be explained by their consumption of meat, their larger body size, and the fact that some carnivorous animals have wider ranges than herbivores.
claimThe diet of Homo erectus consisted of meat, initially obtained through scavenging and later potentially through hunting, as well as plants.
claimEarly Homo erectus specimens had smaller, more primitive teeth, a smaller overall body size, and thinner, less robust skulls compared to later Homo erectus specimens.
claimFossil braincases found on the Indonesian island of Java suggest Homo erectus may have survived there until less than 50,000 years ago, though some dating methods place these fossils at older than 200,000 years.
claimHomo erectus may have scavenged meat from carcasses left by sabre-toothed cats, as evidenced by the discovery of sabre-toothed cat remains alongside Homo erectus fossils in Georgia.
measurementLate-surviving Homo erectus fossils found on the island of Java display brain sizes up to 50% larger than earlier examples of the species from the same island.
claimHomo erectus skulls were long and low, rather than rounded, and their lower jaws lacked a chin, similar to the skull structure of Neanderthals.
measurementThe weight of Homo erectus ranged from approximately 41 to 65 kilograms.
accountApproximately 200 Homo erectus fossils from more than 40 individuals were unearthed at the Zhoukoudian archaeological site near Beijing during the 1920s and 1930s.
claimHomo erectus inhabited regions across Africa, Asia, and potentially Europe.
perspectiveSome experts believe the long-legged physique of Homo erectus evolved to facilitate long-distance jogging and running across open country to acquire meat.
claimHomo erectus likely dispersed from Africa into Asia by following environmental changes that extended suitable habitats and food sources across northern Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
claimHomo erectus was the first human species to manufacture Acheulean handaxes, which were sophisticated stone tools crafted on two sides, likely used for butchering meat.
measurementFossil evidence indicates that Homo erectus survived for more than 1.5 million years, making it the longest-surviving human relative.
claimPrior to the development of Acheulean handaxes, the tools used by ancient humans and their predecessors, including the earliest known Homo erectus at Dmanisi, were primitive rock flakes knapped to a sharp edge.
claimEarly Homo erectus used a simple set of stone tools suited for scavenging meat, while later Homo erectus populations produced a wider range of stone tools and were likely active hunters.
claimHomo erectus appeared in Africa approximately two million years ago, evolving from either a late form of australopith or a primitive form of Homo.
claimHomo erectus was the first known hominin to migrate out of Africa and potentially the first to cook food.
measurementHomo erectus adults grew to approximately 1.4 to 1.8 metres in height and weighed between 41 and 65 kilograms.
claimHomo erectus was the first human relative to possess human-like body proportions, characterized by shorter arms and longer legs relative to the torso.
measurementThe Dmanisi fossils exhibit a primitive version of Homo erectus morphology, with leg bones indicating an adult body size of approximately 1.5 metres and a weight of about 45 kilograms.
measurementHomo erectus fossils found at Dmanisi, Georgia, date to approximately 1.8 to 1.85 million years ago.
measurementHomo erectus inhabited Java, Southeast Asia, from approximately 1.6 million years ago to at least 250,000 years ago.
accountEugene Dubois unearthed the first Homo erectus fossils, consisting of an isolated tooth (Trinil 1), the top part of a skull (Trinil 2), and a thigh bone (Trinil 3), which are collectively referred to as Java Man.
claimHomo erectus possessed human-like body proportions, an upright stance, a protruding brow ridge, a large face, and no chin.
claimThe thigh bone of Java Man indicated that the creature had an erect, human-like posture, while the skullcap indicated a brain size much smaller than modern humans and a distinct brow ridge.
measurementHomo erectus lived from approximately two million years ago until at least 250,000 years ago.
measurementThe Turkana Boy skeleton belonged to a young Homo erectus male who was approximately nine years old and 1.6 metres tall at the time of death, yet was nearly fully grown.
claimHomo erectus lived as hunter-gatherers, consuming both meat and plant resources.
perspectiveSome researchers classify the Dmanisi fossils as a distinct, more primitive species called Homo georgicus due to their smaller body and brain sizes, while others argue they represent a very early member of the species Homo erectus.
claimHomo erectus individuals were more muscular and had wider hips than modern humans.
claimHomo erectus originated in Africa, as evidenced by a small skull fragment from East Turkana, Kenya, which dates to approximately 1.9 million years ago.
measurementThe brain size of Homo erectus ranged from approximately 550 to 1,250 cubic centimeters.
claimHomo erectus is the oldest known species to possess a human-like body, characterized by an upright posture, relatively elongated legs, and shorter arms compared to the torso.
accountThe first Homo erectus fossils were discovered in 1891 on the Indonesian island of Java by the Dutch doctor Eugène Dubois.
claimHomo erectus brain size was smaller than that of modern humans, in some cases nearly half the size, and Homo erectus skulls were thicker.
measurementThe height of Homo erectus ranged from approximately 1.4 to 1.8 meters.
measurementHomo erectus was present in China until at least 300,000 years ago.
claimAnalysis of the five Homo erectus skulls discovered at Dmanisi, Georgia, since 1991 shows that the amount of variation between them is comparable to that seen among modern humans or chimpanzees.
claimHomo erectus may have been the earliest human relative to have controlled fire, potentially capturing natural fires and keeping them alight.
claimThe Homo erectus fossils found at the Zhoukoudian site were originally assigned to the now-obsolete group Sinanthropus pekinensis.
measurementThe earliest fossils displaying the anatomical pattern of Homo erectus are from eastern Africa and western Asia and are dated to between 1.5 and 1.9 million years old.
claimBased on the Turkana Boy skeleton, scientists concluded that Homo erectus walked and ran in a manner similar to modern humans.
Nutritional Evolution – Human Origin and Evolution ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in 9 facts
measurementHomo erectus began consuming large amounts of animal protein between 1.8 and 1.6 million years ago, according to Eaton and Konner (1985).
claimHomo erectus is credited with the discovery of fire, which provided warmth, light, protection, and a new technique for processing foods.
claimCooking food may have been part of hominin culture as early as 1.9 million years ago, as evidenced by tooth size reduction in Homo erectus which suggests a shift to processing softer foods.
referenceAntón, S. C., & Swisher III, C. C. (2001) published 'Evolution of cranial capacity in Asian Homo erectus' in A Scientific Life: Papers in Honor of Dr. T. Jacob, 25-39.
claimMany uses of fire, such as those for hunting and gathering efficiency, appear to be inventions of Homo sapiens rather than the ancestral species Homo erectus.
measurementHomo habilis had an average cranial capacity of over 600 cm3, while Homo erectus representatives had cranial capacities between 850 and 1000 cm3.
claimEarly species of the genus Homo possessed larger incisors and smaller cheek teeth compared to robust australopithecines, and later species, including Homo erectus and Homo sapiens, continued the trend of allometrically reduced post-canine dentition (Walker, 1981).
accountThe Homo erectus site of Terra Amata, located on the French Mediterranean, yielded the oldest verified coprolites of a hominid species, as reported by Bogin (1998).
claimThe appearance of Homo erectus in East Africa 1.8 million years ago was associated with significant increments in brain and body size, reductions of posterior tooth size and craniofacial robusticity, the evolution of human-like limb proportions, and significant changes in foraging and subsistence.
To Follow the Real Early Human Diet, Eat Everything scientificamerican.com Jun 25, 2024 2 facts
claimAround two million years ago, the early human species Homo erectus began evolving modern body proportions, characterized by longer legs, shorter arms, a smaller gut, and a larger brain.
claimThe apparent increase in meat eating after two million years ago, coinciding with the debut of Homo erectus, is attributed to sampling bias where researchers collected more archaeological material from that period than from earlier intervals.
The role of Plant Foods in the evolution and Dispersal of early Humans kernsverlag.com Jul 30, 2022 2 facts
Paleo's evolution and the modern story of stone-age eating - Rily rily.co Mar 20, 2024 1 fact
claimStanley Boyd Eaton argued that genetically, modern humans have not changed significantly from Homo habilis or Homo erectus ancestors of 2 million years ago, and are essentially identical to the Homo sapiens who appeared 40,000 years ago.
Changes in Diet Allegedly Drove Human Evolution answersingenesis.org Jan 12, 2013 1 fact
claimEvolutionists believe that primitive hominid ancestors, such as Homo erectus, developed greater intellect and larger brains as they adapted to survival without trees, which included learning to make tools and cook food.
The Evolution of Human Nutrition carta.anthropogeny.org Dec 7, 2012 1 fact
claimPre-agriculture human diets were not uniform, and dietary shifts are associated with major evolutionary events in human prehistory, including the appearance of the genus Homo, the appearance of Homo erectus, and the migration of humans out of Africa.