Solo Man: The Ancient Human Who Almost Got Lost in History

via Discover, 06 October 2023: Homo soloensis, commonly known as Solo Man, was discovered in 1931 along the Solo River in Java, Indonesia. Initially thought to be a unique species, it is now considered to be the last-known surviving member of Homo erectus. The Solo Man fossils have been dated to be between 117,000 and 108,000 years old, debunking earlier theories that they coexisted with Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia.

H. soloensis, the species name initially given to Solo Man, is now considered a misnomer. Solo Man actually belongs to a far older human lineage — Homo erectus. In many ways, this makes the hominid even more remarkable.

Members of H. erectus migrated to Europe and Asia around 1.8 million years ago. Solo Man likely evolved from “Java Man,” the oldest H. erectus specimen found on the island. Java was the southeast terminus of the H. erectus migration, making Javaan H. erectus the furthest-traveled member of the species.

Source: Who Was Homo Soloensis, the “Solo Man?”