Abstract
The first discovery of Homo erectus fossils was announced in 1894—more than 130 years ago—on Java. Since then, this species has been central to discussions of human evolution, the first human dispersal out of Africa, early cultural development, and so on. However, these insights have been derived primarily from the fossil record and cultural remains in Africa rather than Asia, due to the relative scarcity of subsequent fossil discoveries and research in the latter region. This situation is now slowly changing, driven by new studies spurred by the growing interest of local and international scientists. In this lecture, I will discuss—based in part on my own experience with field research and morphological studies in Indonesia—our current understanding of Asian Homo erectus . Cranial and dental anatomy, the most abundant skeletal parts, will be the main focus, but I will also address topics such as body size, sexual dimorphism, and the evolutionary origins of human-like helpless infancy.
