Homo erectus

Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived throughout most of the Pleistocene geological epoch. Its earliest fossil evidence dates to 1.9 million years ago and the most recent to 70,000 years ago. It is generally thought that H. erectus originated in Africa and spread from there, migrating throughout Eurasia as far as Georgia, India, Sri Lanka, China and Indonesia.

Characteristics

Homo erectus were the first of the hominins to emigrate from Africa, and, from 1.8 to 1.3 million years ago, this species spread through Africa, Asia, and Europe. One population of H. erectus, also sometimes classified as a separate species Homo ergaster, remained in Africa and evolved into Homo sapiens. It is believed that these species were the first to use fire and complex tools.

Discovery

The first Homo erectus fossil discovered was the Java Man in 1891. Since then, fossils have been found across the world, from Africa to Asia, and have been instrumental in our understanding of human evolution.

Evolution

Homo erectus is one of the first truly human ancestors of modern humans. It is believed that Homo erectus evolved into Homo sapiens, the species to which modern humans belong.

See also

• Homo habilis
• Homo neanderthalensis
• Homo sapiens

References

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External links

• Homo erectus at WikiMD

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