Homo erectus

Homo erectus Temporal range: 2–0.1 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Pleistocene[1]
Java Man, the holotype of H. erectus[a]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hominidae
Subfamily:	Homininae
Tribe:	Hominini
Genus:	Homo
Species:	†H. erectus
Binomial name
†Homo erectus (Dubois, 1893)

Homo erectus (/ˌhoʊmoʊ əˈrɛktəs/ lit. 'upright man') is an extinct species of archaic human from the Pleistocene, spanning nearly 2 million years. It is the first human species to evolve a humanlike body plan and gait, to leave Africa and colonize Asia and Europe, and to wield fire. H. erectus is the ancestor of later human species, including H. heidelbergensis — the last common ancestor of modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans. As such a widely distributed species both geographically and temporally, H. erectus anatomy varies considerably. Subspecies are sometimes recognized: H. e. erectus, H. e. pekinensis, H. e. soloensis, H. e. ergaster, H. e. georgicus, and H. e. tautavelensis.

The species was first described by Eugène Dubois in 1893 as "Pithecanthropus erectus" using a skullcap, molar, and femur from Java, Indonesia. Further discoveries around East Asia were used to contend that humanity evolved out of Asia. Based on historical race concepts, it was argued that local H. erectus populations directly evolved into local modern human populations (polycentricism) rather than everyone sharing an anatomically modern ancestor (monogenism). As the fossil record improved over the mid-to-late 20th century, "Out of Africa" theory and monogenism became the consensus.

The skull usually has a pronounced brow ridge, a protruding jaw, and large teeth. The bones are extraordinarily thickened. East Asian H. erectus normally have much more robust skeletons and bigger brain volumes — averaging 1,000 cc (61 cu in), within the range of variation for modern humans. But, that of H. e. georgicus was as low as 546 cc (33.3 cu in). H. erectus probably had a faster apelike growth trajectory, lacking the extended childhood required for language acquisition. Reconstructed adult body dimensions range from 148–167 cm (4 ft 10 in – 5 ft 6 in) in height and about 50 kg (110 lb) in weight.

H. erectus invented the Acheulean industry, a major innovation of large, heavy-duty stone tools, which may have been used in butchery, vegetable processing, and woodworking of maybe digging sticks and spears. H. erectus was a major predator of large herbivores on the expanding savannas of the Quaternary glaciation. The species is usually characterized as the first hunter-gatherer and the first to practice sexual division of labor. Evidence of fire and cave habitation by H. erectus is sparse, and similarly, populations appear to have preferred warmer climates and usually ate meat raw. The last occurrence of H. erectus is 117,000 to 108,000 years ago (H. e. soloensis), when the last savannas in the region gave way to jungle.

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