Homo Ergaster

A complete skull fossil of Homo ergaster was discovered at Koobi Fora in the eastern area of Lake Turkana, Kenya in 1975. The skull, with a cranial capacity of about 880cc, was similar to the skull fossil found at Zhoukoudian near Beijing, China, and exhibited the characteristic features of Homo erectus discovered in Asia. However, H. ergaster is distinguished from H. erectus by its thinner skull-bones and lack of an obvious supraorbital foramen. Nariokotome Boy (KNM-WT 15000) is the most complete skeleton of H. ergaster among the hominin fossils found to date. The fossil of Nariokotome Boy indicates that H. ergaster, as an early human who was tall with long legs and short arms, basically had a body of similar proportions to those of modern humans. In particular, his long legs and thin ribs helped him to live in the hot, dry climate of East Africa. Judging from his physical structure, which allowed him to walk long distances in the open terrain of the savannah beneath the blazing sunshine, it is assumed that H. ergaster was the first hominid to have migrated out of Africa.

Place of Settlement: Eastern and Southern Africa
Period: 1.6 to 1.75 million years ago
Discovery Site: Koobi Fora, Lake Turkana basin, Kenya
Species: Homo ergaster
Cranial Capacity: 850-880cc
Major Characteristics: As this species differed from Asian Homo erectus, which was the first species to have migrated beyond Africa, from an anatomical point of view, it was classified as H. ergaster.