National Museum in Rio, recovered fragments of one of the most valuable artifacts, the skeleton of Luzia

It was feared to have been lost in the fire that destroyed the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro in early September, but in fact the skeleton of Luzia, or the oldest human skeleton in all of Latin America, may be able to be reassembled: if not in all the parts in which it was known, at least in large parts. The good news came in the past few hours from Brazil: technicians working in the rubble of the museum have in fact found several fragments of Luzia (it is estimated that at least 80 percent of the skeleton has already been identified), and among them the skull of the extraordinary fossil. The hopes of those who thought they would find it were therefore well placed.

Luzia was considered one of the main artifacts in the Rio National Museum’s vast collection, which before the fire consisted of 20 million pieces. “The skull,” Alexander Kellner, director of the museum, confidently told Globo newspaper, “was found in fragments. But we have already recovered virtually the entire skull, 80 percent of the fragments have already been identified, and we can increase this number.”

Pictured: the skull of Luzia

National Museum in Rio, recovered fragments of one of the most valuable artifacts, the skeleton of Luzia

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