It's always interesting when something about fossils shows up in antiquity. I was reading some fragments about Xenophanes (b. abt. 570 B.C.) and the following showed up:
He believes that earth is being mixed into the sea and over time it is being dissolved by the moisture saying that he has the following kinds of proofs, that sea shells are found in the middle of the earth and in mountains, and the impressions of a fish and seals have been found at Syracuse in the quarries, and the impression of a laurel leaf in the depth of the stone in Paros, and on Malta flat shapes of all marine life. He says that these things occurred when all things were covered with mud long ago and the impressions were dried in the mud.
- Hippolytus, Refutation (from Cohen, Curd, Reeve, Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy)What's interesting here is that Xenophanes knew about fossils, had a vaguely correct notion of what they were (impressions of ancient plants and animals), and used them to formulate theories about prehistory and certain sorts of natural processes. His suppositions were wildly inaccurate, but it was a good early start for paleontology. Additionally, though the "proofs" cited appear to all be hearsay, they do accord with certain kinds of fossils. I wonder whether these were known via rumors passed about in the marketplace or if there were (since it was the dawn of natural science and philosophy in Greece - a self-conscious effort to collect this kind of information among those involved).
I wonder if there are a) earlier reports of fossils in antiquity and b) if Xenophanes was the first to draw paleontological sorts of conclusions from them. May we rightly call Xenophanes the first paleontologist?
-Bill
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