Buzz
It's easy to think we have a solid understanding of human evolution, but every new find of ancient human remains has the potential to upend what we thought we knew. With each revelation, we gain a deeper insight into the lives of prehistoric people. The 10 women featured here may be the most captivating of all.
10. Ardi
Around 4.4 million years ago, in what is now Ethiopia, the fossil of Ardipithecus ramidus, also known as Ardi, was discovered. Ardi is the oldest hominid skeleton ever found. Her partial remains, which include around 125 pieces such as her skull and teeth, show that she stood at 1.2 meters (4 ft), weighed approximately 50 kilograms (110 lb), and walked on two legs. With a small brain and long arms and fingers, her opposable big toe helped her grasp tree branches as she navigated the forest. Her teeth suggest that her diet consisted of plants, fruits, and small mammals.
Ardi wasn’t human, nor was she a chimpanzee, but she displayed traits of both species. Her skeleton indicates that humans and chimpanzees diverged from a common ancestor, which challenged the notion that humans evolved directly from early chimps. Instead, we now understand that humans and apes have been evolving separately for at least six million years. While there are other older partial remains, such as a six-million-year-old skull from Chad, Ardi's discovery remains a far more complete and meaningful find. Her skeleton is preserved in the National Museum of Ethiopia.
9. Lucy
Found in Ethiopia in 1974, Lucy is arguably the most iconic fossil ever discovered. Her significance lies in how she transformed our understanding of human evolution. Prior to 1974, anthropologists believed that human intelligence preceded our ability to walk on two legs, but Lucy's discovery proved the opposite was true.
At 3.2 million years old, Lucy was the oldest known human skeleton until Ardi's discovery in 2009. Her name was, in fact, a bit of a coincidence: The Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was playing on the radio when the first of her 47 bones was uncovered.
Lucy had a small brain, long arms, short legs, and a large belly. Standing just 1 meter ( ft) tall and weighing only 27 kilograms (60 lb), she had a pelvis and knee structure that showed she could walk upright on two legs, placing her firmly within the human lineage. Her diet likely included fruits, nuts, seeds, and possibly termites and bird eggs.
Researchers are certain Lucy was a female, as other finds indicate that males of her species were significantly larger. It is also known that Lucy was a fully matured adult, probably around 21 years old, as evidenced by her human-like wisdom teeth that were already in use before her death. Her remains are housed in a special vault at the National Museum of Ethiopia.
8. X-Woman
Though the name X-Woman might sound like it belongs in a Marvel comic, this figure lived in Siberia about 40,000 years ago. The term 'woman' is somewhat misleading, however, as only a pinky finger from the skeleton was discovered, and it is now believed to belong to a child. Regardless, X-Woman represents the first instance where a new human species was identified solely through DNA analysis. Prior to this discovery, scientists had no knowledge of this ancient human or the migration pattern out of Africa that she suggests. While it was known that Homo erectus had left Africa two million years ago, the events following that migration remained a mystery for 1.5 million years. X-Woman’s ancestors likely left Africa about a million years ago, supporting the idea that migration continued during that period.
DNA extracted from X-Woman’s bone is distinct from both Neanderthal and modern human DNA, revealing the existence of a third species, named H. denisovans, after the cave in which X-Woman was found (pictured above). While the exact nature of interactions between these species is still unclear, we know that humans interbred with the Denisovans at some point, as Australian Aborigines and Melanesians from New Guinea share about 5 percent of their DNA with X-Woman.
7. The Red Lady
The Red Lady was discovered in the El Miron Cave in northern Spain, where she lived around 18,700 years ago, toward the end of the last ice age. She earned the name 'The Red Lady' because her bones were coated in a reddish pigment called ochre. A chemical analysis of this pigment showed that it could not have come from a local source, suggesting the possibility of long-distance trade. The ochre might have been used in a ritual or as a preservative for her remains.
The Red Lady passed away between the ages of 35 and 40, though the exact cause of her death remains unclear. She appeared to be in good health and enjoyed a varied diet that included ibex, red deer, fish, mushrooms, fungi, and seeds. Her body was buried in a small space at the back of the cave after it had already decomposed. This is evident from the black manganese oxide that covered her bones, which forms as bodies decay above ground. The Red Lady's intricate burial, along with etchings found near the grave, suggest that she may have held a special status, though the exact reason remains uncertain.
6. The Hobbit
In 2003, archaeologists uncovered a small new human species on the isolated Indonesian island of Flores. This female 'hobbit' lived 18,000 years ago, around the time when modern humans were spreading across the globe. Standing at just 1 meter (3 ft) tall, Homo floresiensis may share a biological connection with modern humans. The discovery shocked scientists, who had once believed that Homo sapiens had displaced all other human species tens of thousands of years ago. This new find challenges that belief and suggests that recent evolution is far more intricate than previously understood.
The skeleton of the female hobbit is largely intact, and remains from several other individuals of the species have also been discovered. These remains show that Homo floresiensis had brains about the size of grapefruits, closer to modern-day chimpanzees than to humans. Despite this, Homo floresiensis was capable of lighting fires, crafting stone tools, and hunting in groups. Some researchers have even proposed that the hobbit is not an entirely new species, but rather a human with Down’s Syndrome, a theory that sparked a heated global debate among scientists. However, with multiple individuals showing similar traits, it seems likely that Homo floresiensis is here to stay.
5. The Arlington Springs . . . Woman?
In 1959, the remains known as Arlington Springs Man were uncovered on California’s Santa Rosa Island, initially dated to around 10,000 years ago. However, it wasn’t long before these remains were reclassified as Arlington Springs Woman, as the bones were identified as female. Modern dating techniques later revised the age of the fossil to around 13,000 years, making it the oldest known human remains in the Americas at the time. In 2006, however, a twist in the story occurred when the same researchers who had once identified it as female now estimated a 70 percent chance that the remains were male after all. Future research might ultimately settle the debate.
Regardless of its gender, the Arlington Springs Person represents a monumental discovery, providing evidence that prehistoric humans were using boats. This finding supports the theory that early Americans traveled along the coast by sea rather than migrating over land. Unlike the widely known Clovis People, who are often associated with big-game hunting, the Arlington Springs Individual likely belonged to a group of coastal fishermen and scavengers, presenting a new perspective on the first Americans.
4. Minnesota Woman
The remains of Minnesota Woman, dating back approximately 8,000 years, were discovered near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, during roadwork in 1931. Initially, some workers wanted to discard the bones and continue their task, but Carl Steffen, a member of the crew, insisted they 'make a man out of it.' Instead, they uncovered Minnesota Woman, likely around 16 years old at the time of her death. She was not a mother but carried an elk horn dagger, probably for hunting purposes. Additionally, she had a shell pendant, possibly a talisman, made from a snail species that is now only found in Florida.
Minnesota Woman wasn't buried by her family or tribe. Instead, her body was covered with broken clam and mussel shells, and the highway construction site was located across what used to be an ancient glacial lake, suggesting she may have drowned. Her body was preserved beneath a layer of sediment at the lake’s bottom. The skeleton remained mostly intact, with the ivory-colored bones clearly showing the fine details of blood vessels and brain tissue impressions. In 1999, her remains were reburied by the Sioux in South Dakota.
3. Penon Woman
Penon Woman, who lived around 13,000 years ago during the final stages of the last ice age, passed away at the age of 26. Her near-complete skeleton was found at the edge of a vast prehistoric lake, which is now part of the suburbs of Mexico City. She was named after the small 'heel' of land that extended into the ancient lake. Her remains were first discovered in 1959, initially believed to be no older than 5,000 years. It wasn’t until 2002 that archaeologist Silvia Gonzalez, using updated dating methods, revealed her true age. The cause of her death remains unknown, though her bones were robust and showed no evidence of malnutrition.
An intriguing feature of Penon Woman is her long, narrow skull, which doesn’t closely resemble modern Native American skulls. This difference is also noted in several other early American fossils, including the well-known Kennewick Man. Silvia Gonzalez proposed that Penon Woman and Kennewick Man might have belonged to a group that reached the Americas by boat from the Pacific, which challenges the conventional view that the first Americans arrived via the Bering Strait land bridge. Another theory suggests they could have been part of an early European group that crossed the Atlantic.
However, in 2014, a new discovery cast doubt on these theories. Archaeologists found another 13,000-year-old female fossil, Naia, in a Mexican cave. Naia shared the same unusual facial structure as Penon Woman and Kennewick Man, but her DNA was definitively linked to Native Americans. This finding implies that the distinct skulls may not represent a separate ethnic group as previously thought.
2. Taoua
Taoua, an indigenous woman from the Caribbean, passed away approximately 1,000 years ago on the island of Nevis in the West Indies. Her nearly complete skeleton was discovered in 2011, buried on a beach near White Bay. This find is particularly significant because historical data from this era in the Caribbean is scarce and often contradictory, making the discovery of Taoua’s remains a crucial contribution to regional history. To date, no other skeleton as intact as Taoua’s has been uncovered in the Caribbean. Taoua’s name comes from the Carib word for 'white stone.'
Taoua’s skeleton revealed several cavities and missing teeth, likely due to dental decay, suggesting that her diet contained sugar, potentially from corn. (Sugar cane, introduced by the Spanish, is not native to the West Indies.) It’s possible that the exposure of her dental roots led to blood poisoning, which may have contributed to her death. Additionally, she had several healed rib fractures, and her joints exhibited signs of prolonged wear, while her spine showed evidence of osteoarthritis. Overall, Taoua’s skeletal remains point to a challenging life, although she appears to have been in otherwise good health.
1. Mother
In 1997, a 7,700-year-old skeleton known as 'Mother' was discovered in Siberia. The skeleton was remarkably complete, including the tiny bones of her hands. Mother is notably recognized as the earliest known case of death during childbirth. Additionally, she might hold the record for the oldest confirmed evidence of twins. Rarely, a baby is found still inside its mother, but in this exceptional find, the remains of two infants were located within her womb. One baby, partially delivered feet-first, appears to have become stuck, which led to the tragic death of all three.
The young woman, believed to have been in her early twenties, was buried on her back with several marmot teeth placed beside her. She was likely a member of a nomadic hunter-gatherer group, who didn’t have established cemeteries. However, more than 100 graves have been uncovered near the Siberian city of Irkutsk, suggesting that the culture might have been more sophisticated than previously assumed. Unfortunately, many of these graves are now beneath urban development, making further excavation challenging.
