Homo erectus
(source of picture: Historical Geology)
The first species to migrate from Africa during the Pleistocene glacial
period was Homo erectus. This species was widely disbursed in the time frame
of 1.8 - 1 million years ago. They inhabited the regions of southeastern
and eastern Asia until approximately 300 000 years ago. Europe, India, China
and Indonesia have all yielded evidence of Homo erectus. (Wicander and Monroe
1993 )
Characteristics of Homo erectus are a brain capacity of 800 - 1300 cc, a
large face and thick skull, brow ridges and a forehead that recedes. "Tukana
Boy" was an African discovery, which shows that Homo erectus had a
similar body size to humans. The period that this boy lived in was 1.6 million
years ago. (Wicander and Monroe 1993)
Being able to construct tools, such as handaxes, was within the capacity
of Homo erectus. Homo erectus, according to some studies, made use of fire
and occupied caves. (Wicander and Monroe 1993)
back to Homo lineage