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Homo erectus
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Side-view illustration of a Homo erectus individual, depicted with a robust, upright body covered in hair, walking with one arm bent. A scale bar beside the figure shows measurements in inches and centimeters. map of early human species Sangiran 17 Peking man replica of KNM-ER 3733, a fossil specimen of Homo erectus Diagram showing the increase in hominid cranial capacity over time with illustrations of skulls from various species, including Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens, arranged along a timeline and brain volume scale for comparison. artist's depiction of Homo erectus A map of the Eastern Hemisphere during the Pleistocene, showing the geographic extents of several species of Homo that are thought to have existed at that time. Reconstructed skull of Peking man, based on Homo erectus specimens found at Zhoukoudian, China, and dated to approximately 230,000–770,000 years ago. Illustration showing side-by-side reconstructions of five hominins in the human lineage: Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens, with each figure labeled and depicted in a walking pose to highlight evolutionary changes in posture and body structure. A scale bar at the top right indicates relative height.
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Homo erectus summary
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Homo erectus: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Noel T. Boaz and Russell L. Ciochon, Dragon Bone Hill: An Ice-Age Saga of Homo erectus (2004), investigates the science and saga of the remains found at Zhoukoudian, China. Alan Walker and Pat Shipman, The Wisdom of the Bones: In Search of Human Origins (1996), is a similar treatment of the Nariokotome skeleton of Kenya. G. Philip Rightmire, The Evolution of Homo erectus: Comparative Anatomical Studies of an Extinct Human Species (1990, reissued 1993), is a more-advanced examination of Homo erectus fossil evidence.

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

Other Contributors

  • Rasoul Shiri

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Proceedings B - Reconstructing cranial evolution in an extinct hominin. Jul 24, 2026
Added map. Jun 03, 2026
Add new Web site: ABC listen - Nightlife - Unearthed - Homo Erectus Ancestor Skull. Nov 07, 2025
Add new Web site: University of Northern Colorado - UNCOpen - The Cognitive Evolution of Homo erectus (PDF). Mar 19, 2025
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Proceedings B - Reconstructing cranial evolution in an extinct hominin. Dec 20, 2024
Add new Web site: BBC - Homo erectus: Ancient humans survived longer than we thought. Sep 19, 2024
Add new Web site: CORE - Paleoanthropology: Homo erectus and the Limits of a Paleontological Species. Jul 24, 2024
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Proceedings B - Reconstructing cranial evolution in an extinct hominin. Jun 01, 2024
Add new Web site: Open Library Publishing Platform - The History of Our Tribe: Hominini - Homo erectus. Feb 25, 2024
Add new Web site: Palomar College - Homo erectus. Oct 10, 2023
Add new Web site: Khan Academy - Homo sapiens and early human migration. Jun 21, 2023
Add new Web site: Natural History Museum - Homo erectus, our ancient ancestor. May 12, 2023
Add new Web site: Nature - Homo erectus - A Bigger, Smarter, Faster Hominin Lineage. Mar 31, 2023
Add new Web site: Social Sciences LibreTexts - Homo Erectus. Nov 14, 2022
Add new Web site: Bradshaw Foundation - Homo erectus. Sep 03, 2022
Corrected display issue. Nov 13, 2020
Corrected display issue. Jan 06, 2020
Add new Web site: Australian Museum - Homo Erectus. Oct 23, 2017
Add new Web site: LiveScience - Homo Erectus: Facts About the 'Upright Man'. Oct 23, 2017
Add new Web site: World History Encyclopedia - Homo Erectus. Oct 23, 2017
Date of confirmed control of fire by Homo erectus changed to 1 million years ago; date of species emergence changed from 1.7 million to 1.9 million years ago. Aug 24, 2015
Text added noting the discovery of etchings made on a shell that date to the time period associated with Homo erectus. Dec 08, 2014
Bibliography revised. Dec 08, 2014
Add new Web site: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - Homo Erectus. Jul 15, 2011
Add new Web site: Public Broadcasting Service - Homo Erectus. Jul 15, 2011
Geologic time data updated. Sep 11, 2009
Dating of the fossils found in the Zhoukoudian caves updated. Current evidence suggests that they are about 770,000 years old. Mar 24, 2009
Article revised. Jan 19, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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