Luzia Woman

Luzia
Luzia's remains as displayed at the National Museum of Brazil in 2015
Catalog no.Lapa Vermelha IV Hominid 1
Common nameLuzia
SpeciesHomo sapiens
Age11,243–11,710 cal BP
Place discoveredPedro Leopoldo, Brazil
Date discovered1974 (1974)
Discovered byAnnette Laming-Emperaire

Luzia Woman (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈzi.ɐ]) is the name for an Upper Paleolithic period skeleton of a Paleo-Indian woman who was found in a cave in Brazil. The 11,500-year-old skeleton was found in a cave in the Lapa Vermelha archeological site in Pedro Leopoldo, in the Greater Belo Horizonte region of Brazil, in 1974 by archaeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire.[1][2]

The nickname Luzia was chosen in homage to the Australopithecus fossil Lucy.[3] The fossil was kept at the National Museum of Brazil, where it was shown to the public until it was fragmented during a fire that destroyed the museum on September 2, 2018.[4][5] On October 19, 2018, it was announced that most of Luzia's remains were identified from the Museu Nacional debris, which allowed them to rebuild part of her skeleton.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ Smith, C. (18 February 2000). "Luzia Woman". Cabrillo College. Discovery Communications Inc. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  2. ^ "Busca pelo crânio de Luzia continua um mês após incêndio no Museu Nacional" (in Portuguese). em.com.br. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  3. ^ "O crânio de Luzia, a mais antiga habitante das Américas, pode ter desaparecido no incêndio do Museu Nacional" (in Portuguese). O Globo. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference skull-found was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Solá-Santiago, Frances (September 24, 2018). "The Story of Luzia, the Oldest Human Skull Found in the Americas". Remezcla. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Brazil museum fire: Prized 'Luzia' fossil skull recovered". BBC. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  7. ^ Salviano, Murilo (October 19, 2018). "Crânio de Luzia é encontrado nos escombros do Museu Nacional, dizem pesquisadores" (in Portuguese). G1. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Museu Nacional resgata crânio de Luzia quebrado e identifica 80% das partes" (in Portuguese). UOL. October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.