Homo erectus: Important archaeological sites and the emigration from Africa
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The earliest Homo erectus finds are in the Rift Valley of Africa and in South Africa. Homo erectus co-existed with other species of hominids such as A. africanus and the robust autralopithicines. Stone tools and camp sites are widely distributed over Africa, including sites in what is now the Sahara desert. By at least 1 million years ago, H. erectus migrated out of Africa to Asia and Europe. Recent dating techniques applied to earlier finds in Java and the Caucasus mountains indicate dates much earlier than that and would place Homo erectus in Asia over 2 million years ago. Such early dates would, if proven accurate, dramatically overturn the currently accepted chronology of early human development. At this date, however, the earliest claimed dates for H. erectus outside of Africa are still highly controversial.