Homo erectus

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Homo erectus is species of extinct hominid, sometimes considered the same species as Homo ergaster. It was an early to mid-Pleistocene hominid, living between 2 million years ago and 750,000 years ago. It was dispersed throughout much of Africa, Europe and even some parts of Asia.

Homo erectus may be part of a chronospecies with Homo sapiens (see Multiregional Hypothesis), however most scientists disagree and believe that Homo erectus represents an evolutionary dead-end.

[edit] Description

Homo erectus had a larger brain than earlier hominids, averaging around 1000 cubic centimeters in volume (compared to 1350cc for a modern male human). There is also some evidence of change in this braincase volume between the early and later representatives skulls of this species. The chin was lacking and the teeth larger than modern humans, although clearly not ape-like. The face was flat, the nose was broad and the browridge marked. Estimated adult height and physique, based on the 'Turkana boy' skeleton, are very similar to those of present-day Africans - 6ft tall with long legs and slender bodies. Homo erectus does have more modern features when compared to earlier hominids and this indicates a closer relationship with modern humans and indicates that erectus or a closely related species was our direct ancestors. In addition it has been suggested that Homo erectus may have been the first hominid to use rafts to travel over oceans but however this idea is controversial within the scientific community. Moreover latest populations of Homo erectus were probably the first hominid societies to live in small scale (presumably egalitarian) band societies similar to modern hunter gatherer band societies ^[1] and they may have communicated with a pre-language lacking the fully developed structure of human language but more developed than the basic communication used by chimpanzees.^[2]

Homo erectus may have interbreed with modern humans in Europe and Asia.^[3]

[edit] Representative Fossils

• KNM-WT 15000 ('Nariokotome boy' or 'Turkana boy')
• OH 9 (Chellean Man)
• KNM ER 992
• Trinil 2 (Java Man)
• Sangiran 2

[edit] References

1. ↑ Boehm, Christopher (1999). Hierarchy in the forest: the evolution of egalitarian behavior. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-39031-8. ; p. 198
2. ↑ Ruhlen, Merritt (1994). The origin of language: tracing the evolution of the mother tongue. New York: Wiley. ISBN 0471584266.. 
3. ↑ John Whitfield. Lovers not fighters. Scientific american. Retrieved on February 23, 2008.