How Far Do Fossil Hunting Go Back

[Megalodon_hunter]

Looking for some historical sharks tooth hounds.

How far can we track this hobby back in time?

So far I have seen only a Native American exhibit here in Missouri/Illinois..

I wonder how far back it goes.

[Nicholas]

I'm sure as long as there was sentience and tool making that fossils have probably been used. Bones and teeth tend to be shaped perfectly for some tools.. however I believe there is evidence only in Native American archaeology.

[Megalodon_hunter]

I am wondering if there are any examples of Fossil Shark Teeth collecting going back in Europe, Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt.. Or just in the last 300-400 years..

Something I will try to research at some time.. Right now I just want to know if it is indeed worth intellectual pursuit.

I cannot believe that the Fossil Shark Teeth is just a 20th 21st century endeavor.

[Auspex]

There are a couple books I've been meaning to read about this:

Fossil Legends of the First Americans

The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times

[ebrocklds]

i know of indians in central utah drilling elrathia trilobites to use as jewelry, and one in southern utah that had a brachiopod in a small leather pouch. i can't recall what group drilled the trilos, but the brachiopod was anasazi.

Brock

[RickNC]

I've wondered a few times if Native Americans ever used shark teeth for arrowheads or spear points. They're the right shape.

[Auspex]

I've wondered a few times if Native Americans ever used shark teeth for arrowheads or spear points. They're the right shape.

In the book "What Your Fossils Can Tell You", by Robert Sinibaldi, there are 8 native-modified fossil shark's teeth pictured; 7 are drilled, and called "pendants", with the note that similar teeth were found hafted to a ceremonial war club. The 8th tooth is grooved in the fashion of a point, but still described as a pendant.

I found a Calvert Cliffs Meg in the early 70s that had been scalloped down both blade edges; very even and very symmetrical. I believe it to have been worked, but to what purpose I cannot say; "decorative" is my best guess.

[Seldom]

I read sometime ago about shark teeth being found in a 500yo burial that showed signs of being used as scrapers. Will try to find the article and post.

[bear-dog]

There was a Native American war club found in Florida with Tiger Shark teeth hafted in it. YIKES!

People find drilled shark teeth from time to time.Have a celt made from Dugong rib from what the university told me,a half of a 2 part fish hook,and a [ceremonial] pendant made of bone.All found years ago.

[Auspex]

...half of a 2 part fish hook,and a [ceremonial] pendant made of bone.All found years ago.

Were these made from fossil bone?

[bear-dog]

Were these made from fossil bone?

Yes found them in the Peace River.

[frozen_turkey]

The greeks totaly beat the native americans though.

Massive dino bone have been found in greek and roman temples. they beleived that they were the bones of a fallen god or some thing. and they worshiped them accordinly.

Edited September 27, 2010 by frozen_turkey

[Auspex]

...they worshiped them accordinly.

Don't we all?

[Seldom]

In China they made soup out of dino bones. Not sure how long they have been at it.

[Megalodon_hunter]

There are a couple books I've been meaning to read about this:

Fossil Legends of the First Americans

The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times

Wow that is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks!

[Megalodon_hunter]

I was thinking if I found these fossilized teeth. It would be very easy to fabricate stories of dragons and demons. I saw some shark teeth being used in a Troll Mask in the movie Troll 2 (spare yourself the grief unless you like campy sci-fi.

Very interesting.. I could see ancient people finding these bones getting all worked up.

One reason I'd like to find out is. I have an Fantasy / Theory that Old Megalodon may not of been entirely extinct until the late 1800s. I've read a couple yarns from whalers about very large white sharks.

The amount of whales in the early 1800s - early 19th century was huge. Large enough to support some large apex predators..

[Gizmo]

Here's a neat Example

Full link is Here Scroll down

[frozen_turkey]

I've wondered a few times if Native Americans ever used shark teeth for arrowheads or spear points. They're the right shape.

i email a friend of mine who is big into arrowheads about it and he has just responded. He said they could have possibly have he wasnt 100% sure. And he also said that the arodinamics of the tooth could of messed up the flight path.

[Procynosuchus]

I knew about the story of a monile made out of a trilobite discovered in a cro magnon site in France, the so-called "Grotte du Trilobite", dating back to 25.000 years ago.

http://mammothtales.southernfriedscience.com/2010/07/29/the-first-trilobite/

[Megalodon_hunter]

Here's a neat Example

Full link is Here Scroll down

That is really cool!

[jsw]

I don't know about fossils, but some island nations used modern sharks teeth in weapons. Here are a couple links if your interested.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4008&highlight=shark+teeth

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11515&highlight=shark+teeth

[newdog65]

the following link is about trilobites but if you scroll down about 2/3 of the article it shows one of the nodules we find here that was excavated in a native site about 500 kilometres from it source. COnsidered that it might have been a talisman..

http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/cbasin/fossils/deep_time.html

Chris

[Scylla]

I once saw a photo of a classical greek urn with a dino skull on it.

There is a theory that the cyclops is a missinterpretation of a mammoth skeleton.

There was a half a Megalodon tooth found in Michigan, only could have gotten there by human transport, probably traded by native peoples.

[Megalodon_hunter]

I once saw a photo of a classical greek urn with a dino skull on it.

There is a theory that the cyclops is a missinterpretation of a mammoth skeleton.

There was a half a Megalodon tooth found in Michigan, only could have gotten there by human transport, probably traded by native peoples.

Where did they find the 1/2 Megalodon tooth in Michigan?

Maybe the ancients thought these shark teeth were demons teeth...

[Megaselachus13]

From this link: http://www.aragosaurus.com/secciones/publicaciones/artic/CanudoGlosopetreas2001.pdf

(It's in Spanish)

-"One can cite a classic example, Count Henri Bégouen, earlier this century (20th century) found two "Irsus" (Isurus) teeth at a level in the Aurignacian cave Tuc d'Audoubert in Ariege. This genus is typical of the Miocene, but in around the cave was no sediment of this age. Stratigraphic Miocene levels are geographically closest to 150 km."

-"There are more examples of fossil shark teeth from European Paleolithic sites in France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland as it seems it was a relatively common practice by the early Europeans."

About the Aurignacian archaeological culture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurignacian