Final answer:
Homo ergaster/erectus is not the geologically oldest hominin found outside of Africa. Evidence hints that an earlier hominin species may have left Africa around 2 million years ago. Homo erectus, however, is notably the first to have settled in Java between 1.3 and 1.6 million years ago.
Step-by-step explanation:
Is H. ergaster/erectus the Oldest Hominin Found Outside of Africa?
No, H. ergaster/erectus is not the geologically oldest hominin found outside of Africa. It is believed that Homo ergaster began migrating out of Africa around 1.75 million years ago. However, evidence suggests that an earlier hominin species may have migrated out of Africa around 2 million years ago, potentially leading to the population of Dmanisi hominins in eastern Europe by 1.85 million years ago. The debate continues whether Homo ergaster and Homo erectus represent one species or two, with some scientists considering H. ergaster as the early H. erectus, particularly in African contexts.
Nonetheless, Homo erectus is the first hominin to have apparently settled in Java around 1.3 to 1.6 million years ago, which is significant but not the oldest evidence of hominins outside Africa. Earlier evidence of hominin presence outside of Africa includes those with attributes similar to both H. habilis and Homo rudolfensis, suggesting that migrations out of Africa could have happened even before H. ergaster/erectus.