Homo erectus (hōˈmō ērĕkˈtəs) [key], extinct hominid living
between 1.6 million and 250,000 years ago. Homo erectus is
thought to have evolved in Africa from H. habilis, the first
member of the genus Homo. Anatomically and physiologically, H.
erectus resembles contemporary humans except for a stouter bone
structure. The size of its braincase (850–1000 cc), approaches
that of H. sapiens, but the cranial bones are more massive than
either those of H. habilis or modern humans. The material
culture of H. erectus was significantly more complex than that
of its predecessors, including Achuelian stone tools (see
Paleolithic), a variety of tools fashioned from wood and other
perishable materials, the use of fire, and seasonally occupied,
oval-shaped huts. Evidence of extensive cooperative behavior is
abundant in a number of European habitation and hunting sites,
including Terra Amata, France, and Terralba and Ambrona, Spain.
H. erectus populations occupied these sites seasonally, while
pursuing an annual subsistence