LONDON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- A new controversial theory suggests that Homo erectus could build seagoing vessels and speak, the Independent reported.
Most paleontologists believed language was created with the evolution of Homo sapiens around 350,000 years ago, but Homo erectus first appeared in Africa more than 1.8 million years ago, the report said.
Homo erectus, the first species of human, had human-like body proportions, and could make tools. Their fossils were also found in China, known as the "Peking Man," and some other places.
Daniel Everett, professor of global studies at Bentley University in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, believes that Homo erectus invented language and used it to create seagoing vessels to travel to remote islands such as Flores and Crete, where fossils have also been found.
"Oceans were never a barrier to the travels of Erectus. They travelled all over the world," Everett was quoted by the report as saying.
"They accomplished too much for this to simply be the sort of communication that we see in other species without symbols."
The theory received mixed reactions from others, the Guardian reported. Supporters said it's understandable that language gradually evolved from just a handful of words with little grammatical structure, while opponents say Homo erectus didn't have a life complex enough to require speech.
