The Red Lady of Paviland:

The Red Lady of paviland is a young Homo sapiens male lived about 26,000 ago, in a period of advancing ice sheets that were nearing the place where his skeleton was found. The skeleton was discovered in 1823 by William Buckland in limestone caves of the Gower Peninsula in south Wales.

The story Behind the Discovery of Red Lady:

The skeleton when it was found was misjudged by William as female because when he identified the skeleton, it looks like a female in large part and also he found it with decorative items with seashell necklaces and some ivory jewellery. Buckland mistakenly judged the skeleton belongs to roman prostitute or witch.

But, it was later identified as that of a 25 year old male. Scholars now believe that he skeleton may belong to a tribal chieftain. Wales had no museum to keep it so it was kept at Oxford University when it was first found. A recent examination conducted by DR Thomas of Oxford University and DR roger of British museum suggests that it maybe 4000 years older.


Bone protein analysis were made and the result of analysis indicates that the skeleton was a lady lived on a diet that comprises of 15 to 20% fish and also people suggest that it may be semi-monadic or tribe. “At the time when the 'Red Lady' was unearthed she - or rather he - was not only the first such burial to be found, but also the first human fossil ever to have been recovered anywhere in the world.” Whatever it may be, but still it is called as the red lady of paviland.