Homo erectus | Why Did the Most Successful Early Human Go Extinct? The Ancients host Tristan Hughes sits down with Professor John Mcnabb at the University of Southampton to discuss the extinct species of archaic human, Homo Erectus (aka the 'Upright Man') that existed about 2 million years ago. Were these ancient ancestors the first to make stone tools? Were they the first to create fires? How did they hunt? How similar were they to Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens? Why did they go extinct? Tristan and John cover all of this ground as well as touching upon another species of human that lived on the remote islands of Indonesia, Homo Floresiensis, otherwise known as 'The Hobbit' due to its small structure and features. Sign up to History Hit TV now and get 14 days free: http://access.historyhit.com/checkout And remember, as YouTube subscribers, you can sign up to History Hit TV today with code YOUTUBE and enjoy 50% off your first 3 months! For more history content, subscribe to our History Hit newsletters: https://www.historyhit.com/sign-up-to... #historyhit #homoerectus #humanevolution 00:00 Introduction 03:57 Homo Habilis 05:59 Homo Erectus 12:49 Stone Tools 16:53 Fire Making 19:24 Origins of Language 21:40 Origins of Art 23:29 Neanderthal and Homo Erectus Diet 25:41 Extinction of Homo Erectus 27:57 Homo Floresiensis ('The Hobbit')