Cradle of Humankind
Walking with Ancestors
Ethiopia's Afar region is globally recognized as the Cradle of Humankind, a place where pivotal discoveries have reshaped our understanding of human evolution. It is here that the fossilized remains of our earliest ancestors were unearthed, providing a direct window into our deep past.
The most famous of these discoveries is 'Lucy' (known as 'Dinknesh' in Amharic), a 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis. Her remarkably complete skeleton proved that our ancestors walked upright long before the evolution of a larger brain, a fundamental shift in paleoanthropology.
Another groundbreaking find from this region is 'Selam' (meaning 'peace'). At 3.3 million years old, Selam is the most complete fossil of a juvenile hominin ever found. This 'world's oldest child' offers unprecedented insights into the growth and development of early human ancestors.
- Home to 'Lucy', a 3.2-million-year-old hominin fossil.
- Proved that early human ancestors walked upright (bipedalism).
- Showed that bipedalism preceded the development of large brains.
- A UNESCO World Heritage site for its paleo-anthropological importance.
- Contains the 'Selam' fossil, the most complete juvenile hominin.