Homo erectus (Latin: "upright man") is an extinct species of the genus Homo. Dutch anatomist expert Eugene Dubois (1980s) first described it as Pithecanthropus erectus, based on the fossil skull and thigh bone found on the Sangiran, Central Java. Throughout the 20th century, anthropologists debated the role of H. erectus in human evolution chain. At the beginning of the century, after the discovery of fossils in Java and Zhoukoudian, the scientists believe that modern humans evolved in Asia. This is contrary to Charles Darwin's theory says that modern humans originated in Africa. However, in the 1950s and 1970s, a few fossils found in Kenya, East Africa, it indicates that hominins were derived from the African continent. Until now scientists believe that Homo erectus is a descendant of the human-like creature earlier era such as Australopithecus and early Homo species descended like Homo habilis. 
Homo erectus is believed to come from Africa and migrated during the early Pleistocene about 2.0 million years ago, and continued to spread throughout the Old World until they reach South East Asia.
The bones are estimated ages 1.8 and 1.0 million years old have been found in Africa (Lake Turkana and Olduvai Gorge), Europe (Georgia), Indonesia (Sangiran, Trinil, Sambungmacan, and Ngandong; all on the Solo River), and China (Shaanxi). H. erectus became the most important hominin because this species was the first to leave the African continent.
