The National Museum's star attraction is Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old hominid skeleton discovered in the Afar region in 1974. The actual remains are kept in secure archives, but the replica on display is excellent and provides a powerful sense of how small she was — only about a metre tall. The museum also holds archaeological finds from across Ethiopia, examples of traditional art, and a collection of royal regalia including items belonging to Emperor Haile Selassie.
The museum is small enough to see in an hour or two, and the groundfloor exhibits on human evolution are genuinely impressive even for visitors who have seen Lucy's story before. The upper floors cover Ethiopian history and culture in less depth, but the royal collection is worth a look.