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Home » Human Evolution Evidence » Human Fossils » Species » Homo erectus

Homo erectus

Homo erectus

Where Lived: Northern, Eastern, and Southern Africa; Western Asia (Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia); East
Asia (China and Indonesia)
When Lived: Between about 1.89 million and 110,000 years ago

Early African Homo erectus fossils (sometimes called Homo ergaster) are the oldest known early

humans to have possessed modern human-like body proportions with relatively elongated legs and
shorter arms compared to the size of the torso. These features are considered adaptations to a life lived
on the ground, indicating the loss of earlier tree-climbing adaptations, with the ability to walk and
possibly run long distances. Compared with earlier fossil humans, note the expanded braincase relative
to the size of the face. The most complete fossil individual of this species is known as the ‘Turkana Boy’ –
a well-preserved skeleton (though minus almost all the hand and foot bones), dated around 1.6 million
years old.  Microscopic study of the teeth indicates that he grew up at a growth rate similar to that of a
great ape. There is fossil evidence that this species cared for old and weak individuals. The appearance
of Homo erectus  in the fossil record is often associated with the earliest handaxes, the first major
innovation in stone tool technology.

Early fossil discoveries from Java (beginning in the 1890s) and China (‘Peking Man’, beginning in the
1920s) comprise the classic examples of this species. Generally considered to have been the first species
to have expanded beyond Africa, Homo erectus is considered a highly variable species, spread over two
continents (it's not certain whether it reached Europe), and possibly the longest lived early human
species - about nine times as long as our own species, Homo sapiens, has been around!

Year of Discovery: 1891

History of Discovery: 

Eugène Dubois, a Dutch surgeon, found the first Homo erectus individual (Trinil 2) in Indonesia in 1891.
In 1894, Dubois named the species Pithecanthropus erectus, or ‘erect ape-man.’ At that
time, Pithecanthropus (later changed to Homo) erectus  was the most primitive and smallest-brained of
all known early human species; no early human fossils had even been discovered in Africa yet.

Height: Ranges from 4 ft 9 in - 6 ft 1 in (145 - 185 cm)

Weight: Ranges from 88 - 150 lbs (40 - 68 kg)

We don’t know everything about  our early ancestors—but we keep learning more! Paleoanthropologists
are constantly in the field, excavating new areas, using groundbreaking technology, and continually
filling in some of the gaps about our understanding of human evolution.

Below are some of the still unanswered questions about Homo erectus that may be answered with
future discoveries:

1. Was Homo erectus the direct ancestor of Homo sapiens, our own species?

2. Data suggest that increasing body size, greater reliance on animal food resources, and increased
range size were part of a web of factors that facilitated the initial early dispersal of H.
erectus  from Africa. Was one of these factors more important than the others?
 3. Are the fossils from earlier time periods in East Africa, and from Georgia, all part of a single
species (Homo erectus), regionally variable in size and shape? Or are there actually several
species of early human represented by what we are now calling Homo erectus?

4. How well did Homo erectus master the control of fire and how widespread was fire used? What
does this say about possible dietary shifts in this species?

5. Did Homo erectus grow up in a more human-like pattern and rate, or a more ape-like one? 
Was Homo erectus the first early human species to experience an adolescent growth spurt?

First paper:

Dubois, E.,. 1894. Pithecanthropus erectus: eine menschenaehnlich Uebergangsform aus Java. Batavia:
Landsdrukerei.

Other recommended readings:

Antón, S.C., 2003. Natural history of Homo erectus. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 46, 126–170.

Le Gros Clark W.E., 1964. The fossil evidence for human evolution, 2nd ed. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.

Leonard, W.R., Robertson, M.L., 1997. Comparative primate energetics and hominid evolution. American
Journal of Physical Anthropology  102, 265–281.

Mayr, E., 1950. Taxonomic categories of fossil hominids. Cold Spring Harbor Symp Quant Biol 25, 109–
118.

How They Survived: 

The tall bodies and large brains of Homo erectus  individuals required a lot of energy on a regular basis to
function. Eating meat and other types of protein that could be quickly digested made it possible to
absorb nutrients with a shorter digestive tract, making more energy available faster. There is also
speculation that honey and underground tubers may have been significant food sources for Homo
erectus.

Soon after we see evidence in the fossil record of the earliest Homo erectus  fossils (by about 1.9 million
years ago), we see evidence in the archeological record for the first major innovation in stone tool
technology (by about 1.76 million years ago). Known as the Acheulean stone tool industry, it consisted
of the creation of large cutting tools like handaxes and cleavers. Increased reliance on a broader set of
tools may have helped Homo erectus  survive during changing climates.

The earliest evidence of hearths (campfires) occur during the time range of Homo erectus. While we
have evidence that hearths were used for cooking (and probably sharing) food, they are likely to have
been places for social interaction, and also used for warmth and to keep away large predators.

Evolutionary Tree Information: 

Some scientists distinguish between the African (Homo ergaster) and Asian (Homo erectus sensu stricto)
fossils of this taxon, while others lump them together as Homo erectus sensu lato.  In either case, there
is general agreement that it descended from an earlier species of Homo (e.g., Homo habilis) and
represents one of the widest dispersals of early humans in our evolutionary history.  It is likely that
distinct populations of Homo erectus sensu lato led to the emergence of later hominin species, such
as Homo heidelbergensis, and ultimately to our own species, Homo sapiens.

At the beginning of its time range, around 1.9 Mya, H. erectus  coexisted in East Africa with several other
early human species including Homo rudolfensis, Homo habilis,  and Paranthropus boisei. Sometimes
they were even found at the same fossil sites. At the end of its time range, around 143,000 years ago, it
coexisted with Homo sapiens and possibly Homo floresiensis in Indonesia.

D3444

This elderly male belonged to a population of Homo erectus that spread from Africa to the Caucasus
Mountains in western Asia. Most of his teeth fell out long before he died, and his jaw deteriorated as a
result. Members of his social group must have taken care of him.

Read more about this fossil.

D3444
This elderly male belonged to a population of Homo erectus that spread from Africa to the Caucasus
Mountains in western Asia. Most of his teeth fell out long before he died, and his jaw deteriorated as a
result. Members of his social group must have taken care of him.

Read more about this fossil.

D3444

This elderly male belonged to a population of Homo erectus that spread from Africa to the Caucasus
Mountains in western Asia. Most of his teeth fell out long before he died, and his jaw deteriorated as a
result. Members of his social group must have taken care of him.

Read more about this fossil.

KNM-ER 1808

An outer layer of abnormal bone on this female’s thigh shows evidence of bleeding just before death.
After consulting doctors and accounts of wilderness explorers, researchers concluded that an overdose
of vitamin A—perhaps from eating a carnivore’s liver, which concentrates vitamin A—caused the
bleeding and her death.

Read more about this fossil.

KNM-WT 15000
This Homo erectus youth lived in a hot, dry part of East Africa near an ancient marsh. His teeth indicate
that he grew up quickly, at a rate similar to that of a living great ape. His is one of the most complete
early human skeletons ever found.

Read more about this fossil.

Trinil 2

When this skull cap was discovered in 1891, it was the first early human fossil recognized outside
Europe. It is sometimes called "Java Man" because it was found on the island of Java, Indonesia.

Read more about this fossil.

Read more about this fossil.

Page last updated: January 10, 2020

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