Homo erectus
The morphology of bones attributed as Homo erectus (2.5 MYA–30 TYA) is extensively variable – hence, uncertainty and controversy as to how divergent the species may have been. Brain size was 750–1,300 cm2 – itself a considerable range.
The H. erectus lifestyle was of small bands foraging and hunting. Like H. ergaster, H. erectus contemporaneously crafted crude stone hand axes. H. erectus also created abstract art: doodling designs on seashells, for instance.
Tenuous evidence suggests areas set aside for specific purposes: sleeping quarters and workshops. ~500 TYA, hearths appear, where a fire was maintained.
H. erectus may have been the first hominin to use boats and rafts to traverse the seas. An inveterate mi-grant, H. erectus spread from Africa 2.0 MYA to Europe, India, China, Indonesia, and possibly Australia. The migration of H. erectus to Indonesia likely occurred at a time when the Sunda Shelf was exposed or quite shallow: 1.25, 0.9, and 0.65–0.45 MYA.
