Red Lady of Paviland femur. This fossil femur,stained red with ochre,is part of a human fossil skeleton (Homo sapiens) known as the Red Lady of Paviland (Paviland 1). Initially identified as female,the skeleton is actually that of a man. It dates from around 26,500 years ago and is the oldest known modern human burial in Western Europe. It was discovered in 1823 at Goat's Hole Cave,the Gower Peninsula,South Wales,by William Buckland. These items are part of the collections held at the Natural History Museum,London,UK |