Pithecanthropus
/ˌpɪθɪkænˈθrɒpəs/noun
A former genus name for archaic human fossils, especially Homo erectus specimens from Java.
Did you know?Ernst Haeckel coined Pithecanthropus in 1868 as a prediction of a transitional human ancestor, decades before Eugène Dubois discovered the first fossil later assigned to it.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
πίθηκος (píthēkos)
“Ape or monkey”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos)
“Human being or person”
1868
Scientific Latin
Pithecanthropus
“Ernst Haeckel’s proposed name for a hypothetical transitional ape-human”
1892–1894
Scientific Latin
Pithecanthropus erectus
“Eugène Dubois’s name for fossil remains found on Java”
20th Century
Paleoanthropology
Pithecanthropus
“A genus designation applied to Java and other Homo erectus fossils”
Modern English
English
Pithecanthropus
“A historical taxonomic name, now generally replaced by Homo erectus”
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