When did Eugène Dubois discover the first Homo erectus fossil in Trinil Java?
Eugène Dubois discovered the skullcap and molar of Pithecanthropus erectus during 1891. He found a femur bone at the same site in 1892.
Questions about Homo erectus
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the brain volume difference between early Georgian specimens and East Asian populations of Homo erectus?
The Dmanisi skull 5 measured only 600 cubic centimeters while East Asian populations averaged roughly 1,000 cc. This small brain volume appeared in early Georgian specimens dating back 1.8 million years.
How long ago did Homo erectus disperse out of Africa to reach Georgia and Indonesia?
Homo erectus dispersed out of Africa around 1.8 million years ago. Earliest recorded instances include H. e. georgicus in Georgia and Indonesian sites like Mojokerto.
Who proposed reclassifying Chinese fossils as subspecies of Homo erectus by 1940?
German-American anatomist Franz Weidenreich noticed striking similarities in Chinese fossils from Peking Man or Sinanthropus pekinensis. By 1940 he proposed reclassifying these Asian finds as subspecies of Homo erectus.
When did the youngest population of Homo erectus persist until in Java?
The youngest population known as H. e. soloensis persisted until 108,000 to 117,000 years ago in Java. Tropical jungle eventually replaced savannah corridors where these groups lived.