We have found evidence for the presence of two distinct ancient stellar components ( both \geq 10 Gyr old ) in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy .
We used the ESO Wide Field Imager ( WFI ) in conjunction with the VLT/FLAMES spectrograph to study the properties of the resolved stellar population of Sculptor out to and beyond the tidal radius .
We find that two components are discernible in the spatial distribution of Horizontal Branch stars in our imaging , and in the [ Fe/H ] and v _ { hel } distributions for our large sample of spectroscopic measurements .
They can be generally described as a “ metal-poor ” component ( [ Fe/H ] < -1.7 ) and a “ metal-rich ” component ( [ Fe/H ] > -1.7 ) .
The metal-poor stars are more spatially extended than the metal-rich stars , and they also appear to be kinematically distinct .
These results provide an important insight into the formation processes of small systems in the early universe and the conditions found there .
Even this simplest of galaxies appears to have had a surprisingly complex early evolution .