SEATTLE-Ethiopia is the cradle of mankind, the birthplace of coffee, the purported resting place of the Ark of the Covenant-and home to legions of Bob Marley fans. Discover five million years of this country’s diverse history and culture in the world premiere exhibition Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia, on display at Pacific Science Center from Oct. 4, 2008 – March 8, 2009.
As always, the Pacific Science Center in Seattle has made a well-rounded anthropological exhibit. It begins with a historical tour through Ethiopia’s ancient history. Visitors are taken through a study of the cultural and religious aspects that have shaped this ancient civilization. Photos and artifacts are brought to life with an audio wand that acts as your personal docent. See ancient Korans and beautiful diptych paintings. Learn more about the Queen of Sheba, King Solomon’s lineage and brush up on your Rastafarian knowledge.
Next you’ll find a hands-on area that transitions the historical area into the archaeological area. It gives visitors a chance to search for fossils and piece together a skeleton. You have many opportunities to bring out your inner Indiana Jones. From here you will see replicas of hominid fossil skulls representing our evolutionary changes throughout time.
The culmination of the exhibit is a beautiful evolutionary mural that is a backdrop to Lucy. Dr. Donald C. Johanson discovered this 3.18 million year-old Australopithecus afarensis fossil. His 1974 expedition at Hadar, Ethiopia was a breakthrough. Johanson’s discovery filled in a missing link in the evolutionary scale. Lucy’s skeleton gave evidence of a previously unknown species of hominid.
Give your family at least three hours for this exhibit. You can end your tour with a viewing of Mysteries of the Nile in the Eames IMAX Theater. Mystery of the Nile is a breathtaking cinematic adventure that takes audiences on an expedition down the world’s greatest and most deadly river, the Blue Nile. For 114 days, a team of explorers led by Pasquale Scaturro and Gordon Brown face seemingly insurmountable challenges-class VI rapids, dangerous crocodiles and hippos, gunfire from bandits, malaria, sand storms and the fierce desert sun-as they make their way along all 3,250 miles of the river to became the first in history to complete a full descent of the Blue Nile from source to sea. Throughout the journey crossing Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, the beauty and wonder of the magnificent Nile region are revealed as never before.
Images and Information used with permission, courtesy of pacificsciencecenter.org
Pacific Science Center (http://pacificsciencecenter.org) is an independent, not-for-profit educational institution that inspires lifelong interest in science, math and technology by engaging diverse communities through interactive and innovative exhibits and programs in every county of Washington state and beyond.
IMAX is a registered trademark of the IMAX Corporation
Astacia Carter is also known as mamikaze. Read her blog Life On the Run .