the world ' s oldest possible child has been revealed in east africa in an area known accurately as the cradle of humanity . the 3 . 3 - million - age - oldest fossilized toddler was uncovered in north ethiopia ' s badlands following the great rift road ( map of ethiopia ) . the skeleton , ascribed to the primitive child species hominid afarensis , is remarkable for its age and completeness , odd for a region magnificently rich in traits of our ancient ancestors , experts say . the new find may even contain the superstar dinosaur of the same race : " lucy , " a 3 . 2 - 1000 - year - old adult was buried nearby in 1974 that reshaped theories of man evolution . ( related : " fossil find is lacking component in human evolution , specialists say " [ may 2006 ] . ) .
Lucy fossils have been discovered 3.3 million years ago.