Luzia Woman facts for kids

Luzia Woman is the name given to a very old skeleton of a woman found in a cave in Brazil. She lived during the Upper Paleolithic period, which was the late Stone Age. Some experts first thought she might have come from a group of people who arrived in the Americas before the ancestors of today's Native Americans. However, new studies of her DNA and other clues show this is probably not true.

Luzia's skeleton is about 11,500 years old. It was found in 1974 by archaeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire. The discovery happened in a cave at the Lapa Vermelha archaeological site in Pedro Leopoldo, Brazil. The name Luzia was chosen to honor another famous ancient fossil called Lucy. Luzia's skeleton was kept at the National Museum of Brazil and shown to the public. Sadly, a big fire destroyed parts of the museum on September 2, 2018. But good news came on October 19, 2018: most of Luzia's remains were found in the museum's rubble! This means scientists can rebuild parts of her skeleton.

Discovering Luzia

Luzia was found in 1974 by a team of French and Brazilian scientists. They were exploring a rock shelter near Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Her bones were not all connected, but her skull was in surprisingly good shape. It was buried deep under about 40 feet (12 meters) of dirt and minerals.

No other human bones were found at this site. In 2013, scientists tested charcoal found near Luzia's bones. This testing showed that her remains are about 11,500 years old. This makes Luzia one of the oldest human skeletons ever found in the Americas. Forensic experts believe Luzia died when she was in her early 20s. Even though some old stone tools were found nearby, Luzia's were the only human remains in the cave.

Finding Her Again

Many people thought Luzia's fossil was lost forever when the National Museum burned. But firefighters later found a human skull among the burned items. On October 19, 2018, it was officially announced that it was indeed Luzia's skull! It was broken into many pieces. About 80% of the important parts of her skull were found. These included parts of her forehead, nose, and sides of her head. A piece of her femur (thigh bone) was also recovered. Scientists are now working to put these precious fragments back together.

What Luzia Looked Like

Luzia was quite short, standing just under five feet (1.5 meters) tall. About one-third of her skeleton has been found. Her bones suggest she died around 20 years old. She might have died in an accident or from an animal attack. Luzia was part of a group of hunter-gatherers. These were people who found their food by hunting animals and gathering plants.

See also

In Spanish: Luzia para niños