Upright Man
Homo erectus
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Simiiformes
Hominidae
Homo
Homo erectus
The name Homo erectus literally means “upright man.” Homo is Latin for “human being” or “man” in the general, species sense. Erectus is Latin for “upright,” “erect,” or “standing straight.”
The Upright Wanderer: Fire, Stone, and the Long March of Humanity — Homo erectus stands as the first great traveler of the human lineage, mastering fire, tools, and endurance on a continental scale.
Description
Homo erectus lived from roughly 1.9 million to 117,000 years ago and was the first human ancestor to display truly modern body proportions—long legs and shorter arms suited for walking and running long distances. With brain sizes averaging around 900 cubic centimeters, they innovated more sophisticated stone tools (Acheulean handaxes) and likely controlled fire. Fossil evidence shows they lived in cooperative groups, shared food, and adapted to diverse climates from African savannas to temperate Asian forests. Their endurance running ability may have been central to persistence hunting—tracking prey to exhaustion under the sun.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
70
1.4
1.8
1.8
kg
m
m
m
Omnivore (scavenger hunter)
10
Hunt History
Homo erectus was a skilled forager and hunter, shifting from opportunistic scavenging to planned group hunts. Fire allowed cooking, expanding their diet to include starchy plants and tougher meats. Fossilized bones with cut marks suggest coordinated butchery, while sites with burned stones and ash imply controlled fire use as early as 1 million years ago. Their hunting likely involved persistence pursuit—chasing antelope or zebra over long distances in the heat of day until the animal collapsed from exhaustion.
Archaeological Context:
Koobi Fora, Kenya (~1.6 million years ago): Acheulean handaxes and butchered fauna associated with H. erectus.
Zhoukoudian, China (~700,000 years ago): Evidence of fire use and long-term cave habitation.
Ngandong, Java (~117,000 years ago): Some of the youngest H. erectus fossils, marking their final known refuge in Southeast Asia.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
110000
BP
1.9 million - 117,000 years ago
Africa
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
20
Est. Renderable Fat
14
kg
Targeted Organs
Marrow, brain, backfat
Adipose Depots
Mesenteric, perirenal, subcutaneous
Preferred Cuts
Backfat and marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)