Homo erectus
Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 4 "Early Humans and Beginning of Civilisation"
Meaning
Homo erectus means "upright human". It was an early human species that walked on two legs (bipedal, meaning two-footed). It appeared in the Eastern African Rift Valley c. 2 million years ago. It made large stone handaxes and cleavers. It was the first hominin (member of the human family) to leave Africa. It left c. 2 million years ago and spread into Asia and Europe between c. 2 and 0.5 million years ago.
Example
African-style handaxes and cleavers have been found across Asia and Europe. Archaeologists use these finds to trace how Homo erectus spread out of Africa.
Don't confuse with
- Homo sapiens: a common exam trap says Homo sapiens was the first to leave Africa. This is false. Homo erectus left c. 2 million years ago. Homo sapiens made its major exit only c. 125,000 years ago.
- Homo habilis: Homo habilis made simple choppers and stayed in Africa. Homo erectus made handaxes and cleavers and moved out of Africa.