Genus Homo Rank Subspecies | ||
 | ||
Similar Homo wajakensis, Java Man, Paranthropus robustus, Upright man, Homo rhodesiensis | ||
Solo Man (Homo erectus soloensis) was formerly classified as Homo sapiens soloensis and is now regarded as a subspecies of the extinct hominin, Homo erectus. Discovered between 1931 and 1933 by Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald, the only known specimens of this anomalous hominid were retrieved from sites along the Solo River, on the Indonesian island of Java. The remains are also commonly referred to as Ngandong (now at Kradenan district, Blora Regency), after the village near where they were first recovered.
Though its morphology was, for the most part, typical of Homo erectus, its culture was unusually advanced. This poses many problems to current theories concerning the limitations of Homo erectus behavior in terms of innovation and language. Its cranial capacity ranged between 1013–1251 cm³, placing it amongst the larger-brained members of the Homo genus.
Due to the tools found with the extinct hominid and many of its more gracile anatomical features, it was first classified as a subspecies (once called Javanthropus) of Homo sapiens and thought to be the ancestor of modern aboriginal Australians. However, more rigorous studies have concluded that this is not the case. Analysis of 18 crania from Sangiran, Trinil, Sambungmacan, and Ngandong show chronological development from the Bapang-AG to Ngandong periods. H. e. soloensis was re-dated in 2011 to between 550,000 and 143,000 years old.