Archeological Attractions of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the earliest known home of humankind. In 1974, a fossilized skeleton of an early human ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis, was discovered in the Afar region. Anthropologists determined that the skeleton, which comprises approximately 40% of a human body, belonged to a 20-year-old female who lived 3.5 million years ago.

The discovery site, known as Hadar, is located 160 kilometers northeast of Addis Ababa and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The skeleton is popularly known as Lucy or Dinkinesh. This groundbreaking discovery helped bridge the gap in our understanding of human evolution, providing crucial insights into the origins of humankind.