Now you won’t have to travel halfway across the world to immerse yourself in Ethiopia, and humanity’s, rich history.
Opening Friday at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia, will offer Houstonians the chance to explore the many cultures and historical sites of Ethiopia in depth.
The exhibition will mark the first time that the remains of Dinkinesh – a 3.18 million-year-old partial skeleton of a hominid species, more commonly known as Lucy – will be publicly shown outside of Ethiopia.
The fossil, named after the Beatles’ song, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," was discovered in the remote Afar province in northeastern Ethiopia in 1974. With 40 percent of her fossil intact, she is estimated to have been about 3.5 feet tall, 60 lbs and in her 20s or 30s when she died.
The hype of having such a historically significant showing in this weekend’s unveiling of Lucy – the oldest and most inclusive fossil of any upright-walking human ancestor fully retrieved from African soil – does not come without controversy, however.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Ethiopian-American organizations claim the exhibition violates an international resolution on the transport of hominid fossils, and some preservationists and anthropologists are against Lucy’s transport and display for fear that the fossil will be damaged during the exhibit and slated six-year tour.
Museums such as The Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History have already refused offers to participate in an exhibition of Lucy.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie, anthropology curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History told the Houston Chronicle, "There is a lot of damage you can’t see with the naked eyes, caused just by touching her and handling her."
Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia will nevertheless represent and bring insight to Ethiopia’s beginnings as well as our own, so take advantage of the opportunity to take in the culture and the history while it’s in the convenience of your own city.
Along with Lucy, more than 100 Ethiopian artifacts and findings including manuscripts, paintings, musical instruments, coins and religious objects will also be on view at the exhibition.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children, students and senior citizens. For more information, visit www.hmns.org.
