Homo erectus

ancient humans · fire · evolution · adventurers

Walked upright. Homo erectus was the first human species to have a body plan and way of walking that looked like modern humans, with long legs and shorter arms built for striding across the landscape.

Traveled the world. These early humans were bold explorers who left Africa and spread across Asia and Europe, living in many different environments over nearly 2 million years.

Mastered fire. Homo erectus was the first human species to figure out how to use and control fire, which helped them cook food, stay warm, and feel safer at night.

Different groups everywhere. Because Homo erectus lived in so many places for so long, different populations looked a bit different from each other, almost like cousins across the human family tree.

Our ancient ancestor. Some Homo erectus populations were ancestors to later humans like Neanderthals and modern humans, making them an important link in how we got here.