Homo erectus essay

The Evolution of Homo erectus

The Homo erectus is a prominent and active branch in the human evolutionary tree. It has been determined from numerous archeological research that Homo erectus had a frontal recession, a thick skull, and a brain vault capacity ranging from 700cc to 1200cc (Antón, 2003). Geographically, Homo erectus fossils have been discovered in a wide range of locations, including East Africa, Georgia, and Asia. It has been determined via numerous research that it is likely that all Homo erectus originated in Africa before migrating to Asia and other regions, including Georgia. Furthermore, dating techniques have determined that Homo erectus coexisted with other hominins until it went extinct some 1.8 million years ago. In this stage of human evolution, sophistication in the use of tools is evident. It is established that Homo erectus used axes made of stones. Furthermore, this hominin is credited significantly with the control and use of fire in their daily activities. Traces of fire usage have been excavated in multiple sites from the savannah of Africa to hearths found in Eurasia regions such as Versteszollos Hungary (Rowlett, 2000). One can, therefore, assert that control and use of fire is the most significant contribution of Homo erectus towards human evolution.

The Loss of Hair and Mental Capacities

In the archeological studies of human evolution, the research of Homo erectus has enabled researchers to understand the loss of hair in hominin bodies. The use of fire is associated with the loss of body hair in the mentioned hominin as they relied on fire for warmth hence the loss of thick body hair. Furthermore, the specified hominin enables the understanding and comparison of different mental capacities of multiple hominins.

References

Antón, S. C. (2003). Natural history of Homo erectus. American journal of physical anthropology, 122(S37), 126-170.

Rowlett, R. M. (2000). Fire control by Homo erectus in East Africa and Asia. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 19(5uppl), 198-208.