ADDIS ABABA (ENA) August 8, 2007-Ethiopian famous fossil Lucy has safely arrived in the United States Sunday, Culture and Tourism Minister Ambassador Mohamed Direr said.

The Lucy tour is believed to widely contribute in promoting Ethiopian ancient civilization, history and heritage in the western world.

In an exclusive interview with ENA yesterday, Ambassador Mohamed said Lucy would be displayed in ten major museums of the USA.

Lucy would go on display first at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Minister said, adding that it would also be displayed at New York, Denver, Chicago and other major museums.

Activities aimed at promoting the culture, civilization, history, and heritages of Ethiopian nations and nationalities would be carried out in connection with the Lucy tour, he said, adding the tour is part of the efforts aimed at rebuilding Ethiopian images.

The money to be collected from the Lucy tour would be used for the renovation of Ethiopian museums and the construction of several others. Mohamed said and added that the fact that the Ethiopian Lucy is widely visited in the western world has “invaluable benefit.”

The curator of anthropology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where Lucy will be on display from Aug. 31 to April 20, Dirk Van Tuerenhout said the museum will put Lucy on display with the utmost care just as we have put other fragile artifacts on display”.

The fossilized partial skeleton of what was once a 31 ½-foot tall adult of an ape-man species was discovered in 1974 by U.S. paleontologists Donald Johansson and tom Gray in the remote, desert-like Afar State of northeastern Ethiopia.

Lucy is classified as an Australopithecus afarensis, which lived in Africa between about 3-4 million years ago, and is the earliest known hominid.

The fossil that covers close to 40 per cent of full human body is significantly contributing for research works carried out in human evolution and paleontology.

Most scientists believe Australopithecus afarensis stood upright and walked on two feet. The name Lucy was taken from a Beatles song that played in an archaeological camp the night of her discovery.

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