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The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times
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Ancient myths deciphered through paleontological discoveries.
If you're fascinated by mythology and natural history, "The First Fossil Hunters" could be a treasure trove for you. Adrienne Mayor takes you on an intriguing journey, knitting together the ancient world's tales with concrete paleontological findings. It's a book that could change the way you look at myths, making you wonder at the possibility of truth being as compelling as fiction.
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times
Regular price
Compare to estimated retail price: S$26.45
- Unit price
- / per
The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!
The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.
ISBN: 9780691245607
Authors:
Adrienne Mayor
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Date of Publication: 2023-04-11
Format: Paperback
Goodreads rating: 3.98
(rated by 719 readers)
Description
The fascinating story of how the fossils of dinosaurs, mammoths, and other extinct animals influenced some of the most spectacular creatures of classical mythology. Griffins, Centaurs, Cyclopes, and Giants--these fabulous creatures of classical mythology continue to live in the modern imagination through the vivid accounts that have come down to us from the ancient Greeks and Romans. But what if these beings were more than merely fictions? What if monstrous creatures once roamed the earth in the very places where their legends first arose? This is the arresting and original thesis that Adrienne Mayor explores in The First Fossil Hunters. Through careful research and meticulous documentation, she convincingly shows that many of the giants and monsters of myth did have a basis in fact--in the enormous bones of long-extinct species that were once abundant in the lands of the Greeks and Romans. As Mayor shows, the Greeks and Romans were well aware that a different breed of creatures once inhabited their lands. They frequently encountered the fossilized bones of these primeval beings, and they developed sophisticated concepts to explain the fossil evidence, concepts that were expressed in mythological stories. The legend of the gold-guarding griffin, for example, sprang from tales first told by Scythian gold-miners, who, passing through the Gobi Desert at the foot of the Altai Mountains, encountered the skeletons of Pro
Condition guide
Book Condition Guide
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*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
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Ancient myths deciphered through paleontological discoveries.
If you're fascinated by mythology and natural history, "The First Fossil Hunters" could be a treasure trove for you. Adrienne Mayor takes you on an intriguing journey, knitting together the ancient world's tales with concrete paleontological findings. It's a book that could change the way you look at myths, making you wonder at the possibility of truth being as compelling as fiction.
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
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