Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds
Now Playing at the Houston Museum
of Natural Science!
By Julie Sculley
Currently on exhibit at the Houston Museum of
Natural Science, Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures
of Ethiopia offers the public a unique opportunity
to view firsthand Ethiopia’s most valuable treasure,
the famed fossil hominid Lucy. Within this exhibit,
Lucy is the centerpiece of an unprecedented array of
paleoanthropological as well as Ethiopian cultural
artifacts.
Known variously as AL 288-1, which is her
National Museum of Ethiopia catalogue number, or in
Ethiopia as Dinkenesh, the Amharic word meaning
beautiful, wonderful, or precious, but perhaps most
famously as Lucy in reference to the legendary
Beatles’ song from which her name is derived, she is
arguably the world’s most famous fossil and as such
she evokes a strong personal response from everyone
who sees her. – Joel Bartsch, President, Houston
Museum of Natural Science (HMNS)
Who is Lucy, and why all the hubbub? Lucy belongs
to the species Australopithecus afarensis, which is
one of several species belonging to the larger group
of upright-walking apes known as hominids. It is
thought that the early ancestors of humans arose
from somewhere within this group, maybe even from
Lucy’s species. A bona-fide celebrity in the
academic world of paleoanthropology, Lucy’s
overwhelming importance to the scientific community
is due to her great age, at 3.2 million years old,
and because 40 percent of her skeleton is
represented. While that might not seem like much,
most early hominid remains, which as a group are
more rare than platinum or diamonds, consist of
little more than bits and pieces of bone, teeth, and
skull fragments. Consequently, Lucy has become a
benchmark of sorts; the example to which all other
early hominid fossils are compared.
As a result of her completeness, researchers have
been able to gain some insight as to how Lucy was
built, and how she lived, by examining various parts
of her skeleton. Based on the shape of her knee
joint and pelvis, scientists have determined that
Lucy was bipedal, meaning that she walked on two
legs like we do, and that she was female. By
measuring the length and thickness of her bones, it
has been calculated that Lucy was approximately 40
inches tall and weighed about 60 pounds, roughly the
size of a five or six year-old child. The shape,
size, and other aspects of her teeth indicate that
Lucy enjoyed a diet composed, at least in part, of
fruits, nuts, and seeds. The curvature of the bones
in her fingers in comparison to ours indicates that
although she walked on two legs, she would have been
fairly adept at climbing trees – a useful ability if
you are small, relatively defenseless, and living in
an environment where other animals will jump at the
chance to make a meal out of you!
Lucy was discovered in November of 1974 by
paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson while on a field
expedition in an area known as Hadar, located in the
center of the Afar desert of Ethiopia. On a hunch,
Johanson decided to quickly explore a small gully
before wrapping up a morning of uneventful fossil
hunting. It was there that he found Lucy’s remains,
scattered about within a small area of the gully.
Immediately aware of the magnitude of the find, the
entire camp fell into ecstatic celebration. At some
point during the revelry, a tape-recorded version of
the Beatle’s classic hit “Lucy in the Sky with
Diamonds” provided the inspiration behind the
famous fossil’s nickname.
This exhibit marks the first time ever that Lucy
has been on display outside of Ethiopia. Normally
she resides within a locked vault at the National
Museum of Ethiopia in the capital city Addis Ababa,
available only to credentialed researchers for
study. The decision to tour with the precious fossil
for the next six years has met with a considerable
amount of criticism from within the scientific
community. Of utmost concern is Lucy’s safety. At
3.2 million years of age, and arguably the most
valuable fossil in the world, questions have arisen
as to the state of her preservation and subsequent
ability to withstand the rigors of travel. In
response to this concern, a team of conservators
examined Lucy, and in the words of HMNS President
Joel Bartsch, “I’m happy to report that they
reported back to us that she was literally hearty
and robust.” Other complaints lodged involve the
lack of availability of the fossil for ongoing
academic studies during the tour. HMNS curator of
anthropology, Dirk Van Tuerenhout, countered that
the tour may provide opportunities for more
technologically advanced tests than have previously
been performed on Lucy. A computed tomography (CT)
scan for example, which is the type of x-ray most
commonly used in medicine, could provide researchers
with new data regarding small intricate structures
not detectable by other means.
The exhibit layout is basically divided into two
parts. The first few galleries contain a variety of
religious artifacts, including several beautifully
detailed Korans, processional crosses from the
Ethiopian Orthodox church, a 200 year-old
illuminated manuscript complete with stand, and
several vibrantly painted triptychs. Other artifacts
reflect aspects of Ethiopian history, such as an
intricate stone carving of Emperor Menelik II
astride his horse. Many more are either decorative
or utilitarian items, such as figurines, jewelry,
musical instruments, shoes, coins and baskets. In
sharp contrast, the last few galleries contain
elements of Ethiopia’s prehistory. Among them, casts
of various other fossil hominid skulls whose
discovery, along with that of Lucy, led to
Ethiopia’s reputation as the cradle of mankind.
Alongside the casts are several early stone tools,
the stated function of which requires a trained eye
to discern.
The final gallery is dedicated to and dominated
by Lucy herself. Enshrined within a sleek, glass
museum case situated in the center of the room, her
skeletal remains are laid out upon a cushioned black
bed. Just a few feet away a startlingly lifelike,
full-sized reconstruction of Lucy appears to be
striding across the room, coyly glancing over her
right shoulder. A fantastic panoramic mural,
illustrating 6 million years of human evolution and
fronted by informative graphics, covers roughly half
the exhibit wall space. The remaining wall features
an upright museum mount of a cast of Lucy’s
skeleton, allowing observers to visualize
three-dimensionally where each bone belongs.
It is the hope of the Ethiopian people and all
who worked hard to make this exhibit a reality that
it will serve to acquaint Americans with the
historical and cultural wonders to see in Ethiopia.
It is a part of a larger plan to promote the country
to the world in hopes of developing tourism.
Ethiopia has long been associated with past problems
of political unrest, drought and famine, and as a
result, most do not really know much about this
beautiful country. For instance, Ethiopia was the
first African nation to officially adopt
Christianity back in the fourth century AD. It is
also believed by many to be the traditional resting
place of the Ark of the Covenant. It is the oldest
independent nation in Africa, having been in
existence for at least 2,000 years. Coffee
originated here, and remains a primary export.
Visitors to the exhibit can learn about all of these
things and much more. As stated by Samuel Assefa,
Ethiopian Ambassador to the United States, “At the
end, I think you will have a better sense who these
Ethiopians are, and you will hopefully have your
appetites whetted to come and visit this land which
indeed is a well-kept secret.”
In its entirety, Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden
Treasures of Ethiopia offers a fascinating
journey through the prehistory and modern history of
Ethiopia. The chance to stand in the same room with
and see, up close, the rare hominid fossil Lucy is
quite literally a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The scope of the exhibit is so broad however, that
it is unlikely that any visitor will come away
disappointed. This is a must-see for young and old
alike.
Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of
Ethiopia will be on display at the Houston
Museum of Natural Science until April 20, 2008. For
information about purchasing tickets and exhibit
hours, visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science
website at
www.hmns.org or call 713-639-4629.
The author wishes to thank Dr. Patrick J. Lewis,
Assistant Professor, Paleobiologist, Sam Houston
State University, Huntsville, Texas for lending his
assistance and expertise in the review of this
article.
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