Introduction
The Homo erectus is one of the extinct homonins that existed between the late Pliocene epoch and the middle Pleistocene epoch. Some of the discovered homo erectus fossils, according to archaeologists were as old as 1.8 to 2.2 million years old, which should give us an idea how many years at least how many years it took the modern human beings to attain their evolutionary traits. It has been suggested that these homonins first occupied Africa, and after a series of environmental and other forms of changes, that most probably affected their chances of survival, travelled by foot into nearby landmasses as far as Java, China, India, Sri Lanka, Georgia, and England. There are still many issues concerning the proper way of classifying homonins, which in this case, is the Homo erectus. Some groups of paleo archaeologists imposingly suggest that the term Homo erectus and Homo ergaster are in fact, interchangeable; which implies that thy are the predecessors of the Homo Heidelbergensis which appears to have been discovered or appeared at a later age. Some groups on the other hand suggest that the Homo ergaster is simply the variety of the Homo erectus that lived within the premises of the African continent during their time of existence. The Homo erectus is also one of the very few species of homonins hat walked upright. The objective of this paper is to describe the Homo erectus, the homonin in question in terms of its physical and anatomical features, sexual characteristics, culture, use of tools and equipment, geographical distribution and if possible with dates, scientific controversies about the species, and how they relate to the modern human beings.
Physical Characteristics
The Homo erectus boasts of many advanced physical or anatomical features, at least when compared to more earlier-discovered homonins. The brain of a Homo erectus is considerably larger compared to earlier species who had a one that possess the ability to process complex sets of information required for survival . Research suggests that the average size of the brain of a Homo erectus is somewhere between 1000 to 1100 cubic centimeters. A brain this large is actually comparable to the size of a modern human’s brain. Although an organism with a larger brain size does not necessarily mean it could process more complex instructions than those who have a smaller one, it can and has actually served as an indicator of the more develop skills and behaviors that the Homo erectus had and earlier species did not, which happened to have smaller brains.
Their face structure was large—also often characterized as flat, with a flat but more prominent nose compared to earlier homonins, large and thick eyebrow ridge, and a distinct forehead often described as sloping . Compared to modern humans, the skulls of the Homo erectus did not have prominent curves; they were rather sharp, pointy on the angles, especially on the rear portion of the skull. One distinct skull characteristic of this homonin is the presence of a very thick and dense mid-central ridge which was called the midline keel on the superior-most portion the skull, which is uncommon and practically absent in modern humans.
Their jaws and teeth were large, and their chin was pointed. Archaeologists observed a small but significant decrease in the size of the roots and even the molar teeth in the later generations of the Homo erectus. In terms of their limbs, their bones and muscles were denser compared to modern humans, which are traits that do not necessarily mean a more prominent gene structure but rather a suggestion that the Homo erectus lived in a time and environment characterized by a more physically demanding lifestyle.
Sexual Dimorphism
In the earlier species of homonins, males were a lot larger than females, in terms of sexual dimorphism. This truth suggests that there is a possibility that males were in constant competition with other males for access to females as a sexual partner. In the Homo erectus’ case however, the male to female size differential ration dropped considerably. An adult male Homo erectus is generally only 20 to 30 percent larger than its female counterparts, which many suggest a significant competition for access to female mating partners .
Culture
Compared to older homonins, the Homo erectus lived in more advanced and complex groups. This could have been caused or catalyzed by their more advanced brains, which according to research can already be comparable to modern humans’ brains. A more advanced brain would definitely enable them to handle more complicated tasks, and be a part of more complex social interactions. The Homo erectus used simple tools that were made of stone in their lifestyle, as what the discoveries of the archaeologists in China suggest . Their tools were mostly used in cutting and hunting—e.g. flake and choppers. Over time, the size of those stone-made tools decreased and the diversity and complexity of the designs increased. Some sources also suggest that tools made from animal bones and wood have also been used by these homonins although this is still widely contradicted by some. Some evidences that suggest that the Homo erectus were indeed capable of the use of controlled fire. Some evidences include burned animal remains, charcoals, and other burned materials. The excavated fossils that were at least 790,000 years old in a remote location in Israel suggest that the Homo erectus did not only learn the controlled use of fire but also used it as a source of light at night .
Geographical Distribution and Site Location
Most archaeological researcher still believe in the classic idea that the first groups of the Homo erectus resided in the African continent in the early stages of the Pleistocene epoch. As food became scarce and harsh environmental changes emerged, these groups were dispersed to different locations in the Old world. Most excavated remains of these homonins were found in nearby areas: Europe, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, China, and Georgia.
Specific Site Locations
- In 1891, Eugene Dubois, a Dutch paleo anthropologist discovered a fossilized skull fragment which appeared to be a part of the upper cranium of a Homo erectus. The fragment was later on referred to as the Trinil 2 because it was discovered in Trinil, Indonesia .
- 200 fossilized remains of the Homo erectus were excavated between 1927 to 1937 in the Peking Man Site, located in Zhoukoudian, an old cave system located in China’s capital, Beijing .
Conclusion
The discovery of the physical or anatomic, social, cultural, geographical distribution, and other characteristics of the homonin Homo erectus led to many discoveries in the field of evolutionary science. The gradual change from one preceding homonin to another homonin which appeared in a later age laid the foundation of evolutionary science and proved that evolution did exist. Compared to earlier homonins, the Homo erectus was considerably comparable to humans. Their brain volume of a modern human and a homo erectus when compared, for example, would not lead to much of a difference.
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