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The global adventure of ancient humans: How did Homo erectus conquer Eurasia?
About two million years ago, the ancient human adventure began in Africa. Homo erectus, this early hominin, is not only an important milestone in human evolution, but also marks the first time humans have left their footprints outside of Africa. Their movement is closely related to environmental changes, especially during the expansion of mammals and the adaptation of the ecological environment. How these early humans overcame various challenges and successfully moved from Africa to Eurasia has become the focus of our research today.
About 1.8 million years ago, Homo erectus left Africa through the Lebia Corridor and began their global migration.
During the migration of Homo erectus, archaeologists' discoveries revealed their footprint in Asia. The Longwanling site in China shows signs of stone tool use as early as 2.12 million years ago, indicating that this species demonstrated remarkable survival skills in search of food and shelter. This display of biological abilities is no accident, because Homo erectus was not only good at using stone tools, but may have even invented the use of fire, which provided indispensable support for their survival.
In archaeological excavations at Xihoudu, the first record of Homo erectus using fire dates back to 1.27 million years ago.
With the changes of the times, the scope of Homo erectus has gradually expanded. Their expansion continues to penetrate into various parts of Europe, such as the Atapueca site about 1.2 million years ago, which is the earliest evidence of Homo erectus in Western Europe. How these early modern humans adapted to the new environment and used advanced technology to capture food and defend against natural enemies gave them an advantage in the competition for survival.
Homo erectus demonstrates its ability to adapt to changing social and ecological environments. Their social structure may also be adjusting with changes in the ecological environment, allowing them to survive and reproduce in diverse environments.
The migrations of Homo erectus not only represented biological expansion, they also laid the foundation for subsequent human evolution.
As Homo erectus gradually evolved, subsequent Homo heidelbergensis and other human populations were able to establish roots within the original range and form interactions and integration with local aborigines. Such ethnic expansion and genetic exchange have allowed modern humans to possess genetic memories from different human ancestors.
According to the latest paleogenomic research, we know that a small number of genes in modern humans come from early humans such as Homo erectus. This is vivid proof in the long history of history. We humans today are also excellent witnesses of these evolutionary paths.
Advances in genetics allow us to trace the footprints of early humans, allowing this ancient history to be re-examined again.
Ultimately, Homo erectus' global adventure is not only a continuation of their own lives, but also a part of the entire history of human evolution. This history tells us the wisdom of survival and the importance of flexibility. With the mutual exchange and integration of different human groups, the rich interweaving of culture, technology and genes has painted a diverse and complex picture of human history. In exploring this period of history, we must ask, how did these early human migrations shape who we are today?
