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Homo erectus (1.8 to 0.3 million years ago)
Species Description:
Homo erectus, unlike H. habilis and all of the
Australopithecus species, ranged far beyond Africa. Some scientists have
split H. erectus into three separate species, based on the geographic
region in which specimens have been found: H. ergaster (Africa), H.
erectus (Asia), and H. heidelbergensis (Europe). Homo heidelbergensis
specimens are also sometimes classified as archaic H. sapiens.
Generally, H. erectus (inclusive) is characterized by
large molars, an unpronounced chin, heavy brow ridges, and a long, low skull,
relative to modern Homo sapiens. The skeleton of H. erectus was
heavier, or "more robust," than the average modern human skeleton. Body proportions
vary greatly from individual to individual. "Turkana Boy" was tall and slender,
like modern humans from the same area, while the few limb bones found of "Peking
Man" indicate a shorter, sturdier build.
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Fossil Finds:
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Dmanisi 2282
Estimated age: 1.7 million years
Date of discovery: 1999
Location: Republic of Georgia
This lower mandible probably belonged to a young adult
female. It shows the smaller molars and reduced jaw size (relative to earlier
hominids) characteristic of H. erectus. This specimen was found close
to a partial skull, giving scientists a direct comparison of two individuals. |
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Turkana Boy
Estimated age: 1.6 million years
Date of discovery: 1984
Location: Lake Turkana, Kenya
This nearly complete skeleton of a 9- to 12-year-old boy
is one of the oldest-known specimens of H. erectus. The boy -- about
5 feet 3 inches tall when he died -- may have grown to be about 6 feet 1 inch
as an adult. |
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Java Man
Estimated age: 700,000 years
Date of discovery: 1891
Location: Java, Indonesia
The presence of a cranium and other H. erectus
specimens on the island of Java indicates that the species lived in Asia
as many as 1.6 million years ago. Whether H. erectus moved from
Africa into Asia or vice versa is unknown. |
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Peking Man
Estimated age: 500,000 to 300,000 years
Date of discovery: 1929 to present
Location: Zhoukoudian, China
The name "Peking Man" is first used to describe a skull
found at this site in 1929. Subsequent finds reveal a total of about 40
individuals. Other fossils include 14 partial crania, 11 lower jaws, many
teeth, and some skeletal bones. |
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Petralona 1 (debated)
Estimated age: 500,000 to 250,000 years
Date of discovery: 1969
Location: Petralona, Greece
This specimen is classified by some scientists as
Homo heidelbergensis or Homo neanderthalensis, due to
its strange mixture of traits. The brain size is 1220 cc -- large for
H. erectus, but small for H. sapiens -- and the face is
large, with a particularly wide upper mandible. |
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Tautavel Man (debated)
Estimated age: 400,000 years
Date of discovery: 1971
Location: Arago, France
This skull shows a mixture of features of Homo
erectus and H. heidelbergensis, to which it is sometimes
assigned. It consists of a fairly complete face, with five molars and
part of the brain case. |
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Evidence of Culture:
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Acheulean stone tools (debated)
Estimated age: 500,000 years
Location: Briqueterie, France
Double-sided, teardrop-shaped tools, like this Lanceolate
hand ax, had sharp edges and were sharp enough to slice through tough animal
hides. Whether or not these tools were made by Homo erectus is debated. |
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Earliest use of fire (debated)
Estimated age: 500,000 years
Location: Throughout Africa, Europe, and western Asia
Homo erectus was likely the first hominid to use
fire. Clear evidence of the controlled use of fire, however, is very
difficult to confirm in archaeological digs, so the practice's origin
among hominids may never be known. |
-> Go to Australipithecus robustus
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