Article
Article
Homo erectus
Article By:
Antón, Susan C. Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York.
Last reviewed:December 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.321600
Show previous versions
- Homo erectus, published June 2005:Download PDF
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
A species of fossil human from the Pleistocene representing a specialized side branch in human evolution in Africa and Eurasia. Homo erectus (Fig. 1) was a common, widespread, and long-surviving ancestor of modern humans (H. sapiens). Fossil remains of the extinct H. erectus species have been found in Africa and Eurasia, dating from about 1.9 million to 100,000 years ago. The first fossils were found in Java in 1893 and were termed Pithecanthropus erectus. Most of the finds in China and across Africa were given distinctive generic and specific names, but all are now usually considered local variants or subspecies of the single species known as H. erectus. See also: Anthropology; Extinction; Fossil; Fossil humans; Pleistocene
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
