What did medieval people think about fossils?
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 39
Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episode description
Gather round, rockhounds! It's time to journey even further into the past than usual by taking a look at fossils through medieval eyes. Did dragon myths come from dinosaur bones? Did cyclops myths come from elephant bones? Can rocks be Jewish? All these questions and more, answered.....
For more on some of what we discuss, check out:
- Lapis Judaicus or the Jews' stone: The folklore of fossil echinoid spines by Christopher Duffin https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248606245_Lapis_Judaicus_or_the_Jews%27_stone_The_folklore_of_fossil_echinoid_spines
- Unicorns, dragons, monsters and giants: palaeoart before palaeontology by Mark P. Witton http://markwitton-com.blogspot.com/2018/04/unicorns-dragons-monsters-and-giants.html
- Walking on Water: Cosmic Floors in Antiquity and the Middle Ages by Fabio Barry
Join the official WMG Discord server!! https://discord.gg/6GzvXdWX23
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android