Homo Erectus Research Paper

The best and the worst thing about a question like, “who was the first real human?” is that it is impossible to answer. There is no universally accepted, definitive trait that defines humanness. Consequently, I can attempt to answer this question, but intrinsic in the question is the inability to answer it. Each possible theory may have strong evidence to support it, but it will also have strong evidence against it. In this paper I will assert that Homo erectus is the first official human. I will explore Homo Erectus’s control of fire, use of acheulian tools, morphological and anatomical advances, and human like diet as evidence to support my theory. Although there are flaws in my theory, I am inclined to believe that Homo erectus was the first

erectus being the first species to have a more human-like diet via the hunter gatherer model (Bio Anth Reader, 110). The hunter-gatherer model, founded by H. erectus, led to meat becoming a large portion of their diet. This dietary change is supported in fossil records, as it was found that during this period there was a notable increase in animal bones found in H. Erectus sites (Bio Anth Reader, 110). Another source of evidence for this change in the fossil records is the smaller molars and more delicate jaws seen on H. erectus fossils, both of which indicate a diet that consisted of less plants and more meat (Bio Anth Reader, 110). Transitioning to high consumption of meat was the food based energy H. erectus needed to support large brain growth. All in all being the first hunters enabled H. erectus to assume a more human-like diet and allowed for the growth of a larger

One thing that differentiates humans from other species is our intelligence (Lecture, 3.24). Intelligence, as defined in lecture, is the ability to solve novel problems (Lecture, 3.24). H. erectus displayed true human intelligence with their development of acheulian tools (Lecture, 4.14). Although they were not the first to come up with the idea of using tools, H. erectus were the first to create the innovative and advanced acheulian tools, which can be most easily explained as a stone hand axes that are meticulously and purposefully handmade (Lecture, 4.14). Not only was H. erectus the first to create advanced tools, but they were also the first to control