Ethiopia - Lower Valley of the Awash

Lower Valley of the Awash (1980)
Ethiopia

The Awash valley contains one of the most important groupings of palaeontological sites on the African continent. The remains found at the site, the oldest of which date back at least 4 million years, provide evidence of human evolution which has modified our conception of the history of humankind. The most spectacular discovery came in 1974, when 52 fragments of a skeleton enabled the famous Lucy to be reconstructed.

Ethiopia 1999. Map of Awash National Park.

Ethiopia 1989. Greater Kudu.

Ethiopia 1919. Ostriches [Struthio Camelus].

Ethiopia 1999. Map of Awash National Park with drawings of some of the wildlife found there. I recognize immediately the Greater Kudu (the animal on the left with twisted horns, and the ostrich.
Ethiopia 1989. Greater Kudu.
Ethiopia 1919. Ostriches [Struthio Camelus].

The most famous exhibit of the National Museum of Ethiopia is the 3,5 million year old skeleton of Lucy, that was discovered in the Afar [Awash] Valley of Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy's species is one of the earliest human ancestors, and the study of her skeleton has provided valuable clues as to when and how humans began to walk upright. When her skeleton was discovered it was about 40% complete. The remaining 60% was filled in using mirror-imaging techniques. The result is 1.1-meter tall reconstruction of Lucy's skeleton as it would have appeared while she was walking.

Photograph of the skeleton "Lucy".

Unfortunately there are no stamps displaying Lucy, so I have taken the liberty to copy/paste this image and the above description from the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC.

Sources and links:

Other World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia (on this site). Inactive links are not described on postage stamps. Please refer to the UNESCO-listing, Ethiopia section for further information about the individual properties.

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