The world’s most famous skeleton, Lucy, will be displayed at the National Museum in Prague, marking the first time she has been showcased in Europe. Along with Lucy, the museum will exhibit Selam, a fossil of a child from the same species, approximately 100,000 years older. The exhibition will run from 25 August to 23 October.
“The Czech Republic will become the first European country where visitors can meet Lucy. I am truly happy about that,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala posted today on X.
Discovered over 50 years ago by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson in Ethiopia, Lucy is a 3.2 million-year-old fossil of Australopithecus afarensis. She was named after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and is known in Ethiopia as Dinkinesh, meaning “you are beautiful.” Lucy stood about 106 centimetres tall and weighed 28 kilograms. Her structure suggested she walked upright, linking her to modern humans.
Selam, discovered in 2000 in Dikika, Ethiopia, is also a well-preserved fossil and dates to about 3.3 to 3.2 million years ago, found near Lucy’s site.
[Photo: Občanská demokratická strana]
“I am pleased that during my visit to Ethiopia in the fall of 2023, we managed to arrange for the Lucy and Selam fossils to be exhibited in Prague. This is an absolutely unique event, because the original fossil will be exhibited to the public for the first time in Europe. I would like to thank Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Minister Selamawit Kassa for lending us the most valuable exhibits of Ethiopia’s national cultural heritage to the Czech Republic. I greatly appreciate it,” said Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Scientists from the National Museum and the Czech Embassy in Addis Ababa also worked intensively on the project. The loan was also on the agenda of Deputy Prime Minister Marian Jurečka‘s meeting in Ethiopia in December last year.
“I am extremely happy that we managed to obtain such an exceptional loan, which really does not happen every day. Lucy and Selam are unique documents about our civilisation and our own history in all possible dimensions and dimensions. I would like to thank both my colleagues from Ethiopia and the National Museum, which has been excellently dedicated to conveying our history to the general public for a long time. And commemorating history is also one of the important tasks of the Ministry of Culture and every democratic government. We will have the opportunity to admire these valuable objects of Ethiopia’s national cultural heritage for a full 60 days,” emphasised the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic, Martin Baxa.
The National Museum’s new permanent exhibition, titled “People,” aims to provide a comprehensive overview of anthropology and prehistory in the Czech Republic. It will feature hyper-realistic models, including one of Lucy, which architect Petr Janda designed. This collaboration between the Czech Republic and Ethiopia marks the start of mutual efforts to enhance museum development in both countries.
“Welcoming Lucy and Selam to its premises is the dream of every museum in the world. This dream is now starting to come true for the National Museum. Some of the most valuable exhibits on our planet provide us with a unique view into the past and allow us to understand humanity’s roots better. I greatly appreciate the trust and friendliness of the Ethiopian side. The opportunity to exhibit these world-class unique items in the Czech Republic on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition section Man and His Predecessors is a great honour and obligation for us, but also proof that the National Museum is among the top museum institutions,” said Michal Lukeš, Director General of the National Museum.
