It is said that Ethiopia’s history began with the visit of Queen of Sheba, from Ethiopia to Solomon, King of Israel in the tenth century BC: hence the claim to Ethiopia's 3000 year history. Aside from the fact that this association has scarcely any scientific basis, it represents too short a view of the Ethiopia's past. Archaeological and linguistic research in the past 50 years have made possible to confirm a far deeper history for Ethiopia including scientific evidence.
The discovery in 1974 of the earliest hominid known to man in the Afar desert justifies Ethiopia’s history. This female ancestor of the human race was dated to 3.6 million years ago. She is named LUCY and can be visited at Addis Ababa University.

With a history stretching back three millennia and the population speaking over 83 different languages and 200 dialects, it is no wonder that the mosaic of cultural diversity of Ethiopia is a major attraction for visitors to the country. Ethiopia has a rich medley of people of different religions and customs with distinctive lifestyles practices. There are many interesting cultural traditions in Ethiopia including the nomadic culture of the people of the Omo Valley; their lifestyle has hardly changed over the centuries. People still dress from animal skins, drink from calabashes and decorate themselves with clay. Their lives are unique, undisturbed and considered to be among the most fascinating in the African continent. Travelling through this area is like travelling thousands of years back in time, providing an insight in to an Africa of a bygone age.