An old species and a new frontier: Some thoughts on the taxonomy of Homo erectus

Qian Wang; Phillip V. Tobias

doi:10.18778/1898-6773.64.01

Authors

Qian Wang Sterkfontein Research Unit, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Rd., Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa
Phillip V. Tobias Sterkfontein Research Unit, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Rd., Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1898-6773.64.01

Keywords:

genus Homo, Java, China, out-of-Africa

Abstract

The taxonomic impact on Homo erectus induced by a .preerectus- out-of-Africa. paradigm is preliminarily discussed in this article. Some of the early Homo species in Asia should be allocated to another taxon rather than to H. erectus, although their real identities are not yet readily apparent. Asian H. erectus may be taxonomically distinct from African H. ergaster. Differences between two samples of H. erectus from Java and China, suggesting taxonomic diversity or only geographical variances between these subsets, need further study. Reasons are advanced against the proposal to lump H. erectus into H. sapiens.

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