CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#" class="ht-pairing-cardinal hb-font-serif no-js"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-B5CK806RYT"></script> <script>window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments)};gtag("js", new Date());gtag("set", "developer_id.dMDhkMT", true);gtag("config", "G-B5CK806RYT", {"groups":"default","page_placeholder":"PLACEHOLDER_page_location","allow_ad_personalization_signals":false});gtag("config", "G-LMBT0GR7DR", {"groups":"default","page_placeholder":"PLACEHOLDER_page_location","allow_ad_personalization_signals":false});</script> <meta name="description" content="Griffins, Centaurs, Cyclopes, and Giants鈥攖hese 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聽The First Fossil Hunters." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://classics.stanford.edu/publications/first-fossil-hunters-dinosaurs-mammoths-and-myth-greek-and-roman-times" /> <link rel="icon" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/favicon.ico" /> <link rel="icon" sizes="32x32" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-60x60.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="72x72" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="76x76" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="114x114" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="120x120" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="144x144" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="72x72" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="76x76" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114x114" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="120x120" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144x144" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="152x152" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="180x180" href="/themes/custom/stanford_basic/img/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png" /> <meta property="og:type" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta property="og:title" content="The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times | Department of Classics" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Griffins, Centaurs, Cyclopes, and Giants鈥攖hese 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聽The First Fossil Hunters." /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://classics.stanford.edu/sites/classics/files/styles/large/public/media/image/the_first_fossil_hunters_0.png?itok=spOVIF_w" /> <meta name="Generator" content="Drupal 10 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="60x60" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-60x60.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="72x72" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="76x76" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="114x114" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="120x120" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="144x144" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/favicon-196x196.png" sizes="196x196" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/favicon-192x192.png" sizes="192x192" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/favicon-128.png" sizes="128x128" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/favicon-96x96.png" sizes="96x96" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/favicon-16x16.png" sizes="16x16" /> <link rel="mask-icon" href="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#ffffff"> <meta name="application-name" content="Stanford University"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#FFFFFF" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/mstile-144x144.png" /> <meta name="msapplication-square70x70logo" content="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/mstile-70x70.png" /> <meta name="msapplication-square150x150logo" content="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/mstile-150x150.png" /> <meta name="msapplication-square310x310logo" content="https://www-media.stanford.edu/assets/favicon/mstile-310x310.png" /> <title>The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times | Department of Classics</title> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/classics/files/css/css_F4pYw7M-IHNLbMQ9CGFNKvxV_44qVdQbFZVtBymhNRQ.css?delta=0&language=en&theme=humsci_traditional&include=eJxNzEsOwjAMhOELRcmRLDeeUkNeil2V3p5WsGA33yx-NoOTtiey95myWdxUQIICBw1-gHJvjrfvXKhoe4X1Mh-wXpH-djyw3LRgpzlqWtgQtr1aVvLJoq69cfn-V_COJZn74BJ_DObc1j6FKkQ5idoofIavVi2OGTOPu_QBZYJKEQ" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v6.5.2/css/all.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/classics/files/css/css_3PNPCchCkIRYwHtfI6RucIykME_lBzEJ_B5FwanFMyQ.css?delta=2&language=en&theme=humsci_traditional&include=eJxNzEsOwjAMhOELRcmRLDeeUkNeil2V3p5WsGA33yx-NoOTtiey95myWdxUQIICBw1-gHJvjrfvXKhoe4X1Mh-wXpH-djyw3LRgpzlqWtgQtr1aVvLJoq69cfn-V_COJZn74BJ_DObc1j6FKkQ5idoofIavVi2OGTOPu_QBZYJKEQ" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/classics/files/css/css_nqdWCNkBQhpoNN7IseH1VDzIWkvxe2FKaTIuPBqySZQ.css?delta=3&language=en&theme=humsci_traditional&include=eJxNzEsOwjAMhOELRcmRLDeeUkNeil2V3p5WsGA33yx-NoOTtiey95myWdxUQIICBw1-gHJvjrfvXKhoe4X1Mh-wXpH-djyw3LRgpzlqWtgQtr1aVvLJoq69cfn-V_COJZn74BJ_DObc1j6FKkQ5idoofIavVi2OGTOPu_QBZYJKEQ" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/classics/files/css/css_Cy8fhAEu7VVrvah4outcRZ8Tvn9xO8pLbiptwQdVtQM.css?delta=4&language=en&theme=humsci_traditional&include=eJxNzEsOwjAMhOELRcmRLDeeUkNeil2V3p5WsGA33yx-NoOTtiey95myWdxUQIICBw1-gHJvjrfvXKhoe4X1Mh-wXpH-djyw3LRgpzlqWtgQtr1aVvLJoq69cfn-V_COJZn74BJ_DObc1j6FKkQ5idoofIavVi2OGTOPu_QBZYJKEQ" /> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/modernizr/modernizr.min.js?v=3.11.7"></script> </head> <body class="role-anonymous not-front role--anonymous"> <div class="dialog-off-canvas-main-canvas" data-off-canvas-main-canvas> <header id="header" class="su-masthead hb-default-pattern"> <a href="#main-content" class="su-skiplinks ">Skip to main content</a> <section class="su-brand-bar su-brand-bar--default"> <div class="su-brand-bar__container hb-page-width"> <a class="su-brand-bar__logo" href="https://www.stanford.edu">Stanford University</a> </div> </section> <section class="hb-page-width hb-position-relative"> <div id="block-humsci-traditional-branding" class="su-lockup su-lockup--option-default"> <a href="https://classics.stanford.edu/" class="su-lockup__link"> <div class="su-lockup__cell1"> <div class="su-lockup__wordmark-wrapper"> <span class="su-lockup__wordmark">Stanford</span> </div> </div><div class="su-lockup__cell2"> <span class="su-lockup__line2" >Department of Classics</span> </div> <div class="su-lockup__line5 ">School of Humanities and Sciences</div> </a> </div> <div class="su-site-search" role="search"> <div class="views-exposed-form block-views block-humsci-traditional-exposedformhs-default-searchsearch-page-top2" data-drupal-selector="views-exposed-form-hs-default-search-search-page" id="block-humsci-traditional-exposedformhs-default-searchsearch-page-top2"> <form action="/search" method="get" id="views-exposed-form-hs-default-search-search-page-form-Z5nmbuxZl0OFEZ_PNUoO6g__vPrPCH_n6QS36pySsbc" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <div class="js-form-item form-item form-type-textfield js-form-type-textfield form-item-search js-form-item-search"> <label for="edit-search">Search</label> <input data-drupal-selector="edit-search" type="text" id="edit-search" name="search" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" class="form-text" /> </div> <div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><input data-drupal-selector="edit-submit-hs-default-search" type="submit" id="edit-submit-hs-default-search" value="Search" class="button js-form-submit form-submit" /> </div> </form> </div> </div> <nav class="hb-main-nav su-main-nav hb-main-nav--is-still-loading" aria-label="main menu"> <button class="hb-main-nav__toggle hb-main-nav__toggle--right " aria-expanded="true"> Menu <span class="hb-main-nav__toggle-icon"></span> </button> <ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv1"><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><button class="hb-main-nav__link hb-nested-toggler" id="About1" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">About</button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="About1"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv2"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/about/why-classics" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/666">Why Classics?</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/about/contact-location" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9466">Contact Us</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/about/affiliated-departments-and-centers" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/741">Affiliated Programs</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/about/history-classics-stanford" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/12686">History of Department</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/about/giving" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/746">Make a Gift</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><button class="hb-main-nav__link hb-nested-toggler" id="Academics1" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">Academics</button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="Academics1"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv2"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/academics-overview" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/16">Academics Overview</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/21">Undergraduate Program</a><button class="hb-main-nav__button hb-nested-toggler" id="UndergraduateProgram22" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true"> Toggle Undergraduate Program </button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="UndergraduateProgram22"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv3"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program/major" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/581">Major</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program/minor" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/586">Minor</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program/honors" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/591">Honors</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program/how-to-declare" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/596">How to Declare</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program/coterminal-masters" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/601">Coterminal Masters</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program/travel-and-research-grants" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/606">Travel and Research Grants</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/undergraduate-program/forms-and-resources" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/611">Forms and Resources</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><a href="/academics/graduate-programs" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/616">Graduate Programs</a><button class="hb-main-nav__button hb-nested-toggler" id="GraduatePrograms22" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true"> Toggle Graduate Programs </button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="GraduatePrograms22"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv3"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/graduate-programs/doctoral-program" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/621">Doctoral Program</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/graduate-programs/masters-program" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/626">Masters Program</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/node/616/fields-study" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/631">Fields of Study</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><a href="/academics/graduate-programs/graduate-admissions" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/636">Admissions</a><button class="hb-main-nav__button hb-nested-toggler" id="Admissions32-3" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true"> Toggle Admissions </button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="Admissions32-3"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv4"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/graduate-programs/graduate-admissions/frequently-asked-questions" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/641">Frequently Asked Questions</a></li></ul></div></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/academics/courses" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/26">Courses</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><button class="hb-main-nav__link hb-nested-toggler" id="People1" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">People</button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="People1"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv2"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/people/core-faculty" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/671">Core Faculty and Lecturers</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/people/courtesy-emeriti" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9496">Courtesy & Emeriti</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/people/graduate-students" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/681">Graduate Students</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/people/undergraduate-peer-mentors" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/686">Undergraduate Peer Mentors</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/people/alumni-0" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/20026">Alumni</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/people/staff" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/696">Staff</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--active-trail"><a href="/publications" class="hb-main-nav__link hb-main-nav__link--active-trail" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9451">Publications</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><button class="hb-main-nav__link hb-nested-toggler" id="News1" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">News</button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="News1"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv2"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/news/recent-news" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/701">Recent News</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/news/awards" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/706">Awards</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/news/job-placement" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/711">Job Placement</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/news/stanford-classics-stanford-news" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/19991">Stanford Classics In Stanford News</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><button class="hb-main-nav__link hb-nested-toggler" id="Events1" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">Events</button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="Events1"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv2"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/events/upcoming-events" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/716">Upcoming Events</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/events/eitner-lectures" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/721">Eitner Lectures</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/events/past-events" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/726">Past Events</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item hb-main-nav__item--parent"><button class="hb-main-nav__link hb-nested-toggler" id="Projects1" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">Projects</button><div class="hb-main-nav__menu-container" aria-labelledby="Projects1"><ul class="hb-main-nav__menu hb-main-nav__menu-lv2"><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/projects/future-classics-initiative-stanford" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/16891">The Future of Classics Initiative at Stanford</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="https://grandtour.stanford.edu/" class="hb-main-nav__link">Grand Tour Project</a></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="https://archaeology.stanford.edu/academics/field-experience/archaeological-research-sicilian-maritime-heritage" class="hb-main-nav__link">Sicilian Maritime Heritage</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="hb-main-nav__item"><a href="/intranet" class="hb-main-nav__link" hreflang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/16886">Intranet</a></li></ul> </nav> </section> </header> <div id="help-region" class="hb-page-width"> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> </div> <main class="" > <div id="block-humsci-traditional-content" class="block-system block-humsci-traditional-content"> <article class="node publications node-layout-full node-publications-full hb-vertical-page-padding"> <div class="content"> <div class="decanter-grid hb-three-column-w-image clearfix hb-three-column-w-image--no-sidebar"> <div class="hb-layout-builder-main-content hb-three-column-w-image__main"> <div class="hb-three-column-w-image__main-title"> <div class="layout__region hb-three-column-w-image__title-text"> <div id="main-content" tabindex="-1" class="visually-hidden">Main content start</div> <div class="block-layout-builder"> <div class="title string label-hidden node__title"><h1>The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times</h1> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hb-three-column-w-image__main-top"> <div class="layout__region hb-three-column-w-image__main-top-text"> <div class="block-layout-builder"> <div class="hb-subtitle field-hs-publication-year datetime label-hidden">2023</div> </div> <div class="block-layout-builder"> <div class="hb-highlighted-label field-hs-publication-author entity-reference label-above"> <div class="field-label">Author(s)</div> <div> <div> <div class="field-hs-publication-author entity-reference label-hidden"><a href="/people/adrienne-mayor" hreflang="en">Adrienne Mayor</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block-layout-builder"> <div class="hb-highlighted-label field-hs-publication-publisher string label-above"> <div class="field-label">Publisher</div> <div>Princeton University Press</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hb-three-column-w-image__main-body "> <div class="main-above layout__region"> <div class="block-layout-builder"> <div class="hb-main-body-detail-image field-hs-publication-image entity-reference label-hidden"> <article class="hb-caption-credit-image hb-position-relative"> <div class="field-media-image image label-hidden"> <img loading="eager" src="/sites/classics/files/styles/hs_medium_scaled_360px/public/media/image/the_first_fossil_hunters_0.png?itok=wLNi5F4n" width="360" height="543" alt="" /> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="block-layout-builder"> <div class="hb-highlighted-label field-hs-publication-link link label-above"> <div class="field-label">Read the publication</div> <div> <div><a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691245607/the-first-fossil-hunters">Princeton University Press</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block-layout-builder"> <div class="body text-with-summary label-hidden"><p>Griffins, Centaurs, Cyclopes, and Giants鈥攖hese 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 <em>The First Fossil Hunters</em>. Through careful research and meticulous documentation, she convincingly shows that many of the giants and monsters of myth did have a basis in fact鈥攊n the enormous bones of long-extinct species that were once abundant in the lands of the Greeks and Romans.<br><br>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 Protoceratops and other dinosaurs that littered the ground.<br><br>Like their modern counterparts, the ancient fossil hunters collected and measured impressive petrified remains and displayed them in temples and museums; they attempted to reconstruct the appearance of these prehistoric creatures and to explain their extinction. Long thought to be fantasy, the remarkably detailed and perceptive Greek and Roman accounts of giant bone finds were actually based on solid paleontological facts. By reading these neglected narratives for the first time in the light of modern scientific discoveries, Adrienne Mayor illuminates a lost world of ancient paleontology.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </main> <footer id="footer"> <section id="footer__local-footer" class="hb-local-footer hb-default-pattern"> <div class="hb-page-width flex-container flex-container--row-gap"> <div id="block-humsci-traditional-hs-about" class="flex-md-3-of-12 block-block-content block-humsci-traditional-hs-about"> <h2 class="block__title">Quick Links</h2> <div class="body text-with-summary label-hidden"><p><a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="011c1fbb-2ab0-42f5-b474-d320ad3e5d3a" href="/events/upcoming-events">Events</a><br> <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="65a53a52-8e94-41ad-ac52-183ac2be567b" href="/about/history-classics-stanford">Departmental History</a><br> <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="4abe91ed-adcd-4418-ac46-1650ed262b51" href="/about/get-involved-connect-us">Subscribe</a></p></div> </div> <div id="block-humsci-traditional-hs-people" class="flex-md-3-of-12 block-block-content block-humsci-traditional-hs-people"> <h2 class="block__title">People</h2> <div class="body text-with-summary label-hidden"><p><a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="6e379d26-f13a-40c4-b51c-c752c43b656c" href="/people/core-faculty">Faculty</a><br> <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="a2540bf3-c30e-4ba7-a521-926bed0ca4bc" href="/people/staff">Staff</a><br> <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="416f7f80-bb97-45e6-97a4-3b1bc1af4cb2" href="/people/graduate-students">Graduate Students</a></p></div> </div> <div id="block-humsci-traditional-hs-connectwithus" class="flex-md-3-of-12 block-block-content block-humsci-traditional-hs-connectwithus"> <h2 class="block__title">Connect With Us</h2> <div class="body text-with-summary label-hidden"><p><a href="https://youtu.be/RG7s3aFkMBc" title="Classics YouTube Channel"><span class="fontawesome-icon-inline"><span class="fa-3x fa-youtube-square fab"><span class="visually-hidden">Check out out YouTube Channel</span></span></span></a>  <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stanfordclassics" title="Classics Facebook Page"><span class="fontawesome-icon-inline"><span class="fa-3x fa-facebook-square fab"><span class="visually-hidden">Connect with us on Facebook</span></span></span></a></p></div> </div> <div id="block-humsci-traditional-hs-contactus" class="flex-md-3-of-12 block-block-content block-humsci-traditional-hs-contactus"> <h2 class="block__title">Contact Us</h2> <div class="body text-with-summary label-hidden"><p>Department of Classics<br> 450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 110<br> Stanford, CA 94305<br> <strong>Phone</strong>: 650-723-0479<br> <span class="spamspan"><span class="u">classics</span> [at] <span class="d">stanford.edu</span><span class="t"> (classics[at]stanford[dot]edu)</span></span><br> <a href="http://campus-map.stanford.edu/?id=01-110&lat=37.4279904326&lng=-122.170537402&zoom=17&srch=450%20Serra%20Mall%2C%20Bldg.%20110">Campus Map</a></p></div> </div> <div id="block-humsci-traditional-hsaffiliationfooter" class="flex-md-8-of-12 block-block-content block-humsci-traditional-hsaffiliationfooter"> <div class="body text-with-summary label-hidden"><a href="https://humsci.stanford.edu"> <article class="align-center hb-media-image"> <div class="field-media-image image label-hidden"> <picture> <source srcset="/sites/classics/files/styles/responsive_large/public/media/image/classics_footer-01_0.png?itok=BS3cMLOB 1x" media="screen and (min-width: 1200px)" type="image/png" width="1200" height="119"> <source srcset="/sites/classics/files/styles/responsive_large/public/media/image/classics_footer-01_0.png?itok=BS3cMLOB 1x" media="screen and (min-width: 992px)" type="image/png" width="1200" height="119"> <source srcset="/sites/classics/files/styles/responsive_medium/public/media/image/classics_footer-01_0.png?itok=pshLLU07 1x" media="screen and (min-width: 768px)" type="image/png" width="992" height="98"> <source srcset="/sites/classics/files/styles/responsive_small/public/media/image/classics_footer-01_0.png?itok=yNi-5HG3 1x" media="screen and (min-width: 576px)" type="image/png" width="768" height="76"> <source srcset="/sites/classics/files/styles/responsive_default_576_/public/media/image/classics_footer-01_0.png?itok=DXGv7px3 1x" media="(min-width: 0em)" type="image/png" width="576" height="57"> <img loading="eager" src="/sites/classics/files/styles/responsive_large/public/media/image/classics_footer-01_0.png?itok=BS3cMLOB" width="1200" height="119" alt="Banner Logo. Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, Department of Classics"> </picture> </div> </article> </a></div> </div> <div id="block-humsci-traditional-samlauth-login" class="block-stanford-samlauth block-humsci-traditional-samlauth-login"> <a rel="nofollow" href="/saml/login?destination=/publications/first-fossil-hunters-dinosaurs-mammoths-and-myth-greek-and-roman-times" class="text-align-right hs-secondary-button">SUNet Login</a> </div> </div> </section> <section id="footer__global-footer" class="hb-global-footer su-global-footer su-global-footer--default"> <div class="su-global-footer__container hb-page-width"> <div class="su-global-footer__brand"> <a class="su-logo su-global-footer--default" href="https://www.stanford.edu"> Stanford<br>University </a> </div> <div class="su-global-footer__content"> <nav aria-label="global footer"> <ul class="su-global-footer__menu su-global-footer__menu--global"> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://www.stanford.edu">Stanford Home</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://visit.stanford.edu/plan/">Maps & Directions</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://www.stanford.edu/search/">Search Stanford</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://emergency.stanford.edu">Emergency Info</a></li> </ul> <ul class="su-global-footer__menu su-global-footer__menu--policy"> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://www.stanford.edu/site/terms/" title="Terms of use for sites">Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://www.stanford.edu/site/privacy/" title="Privacy and cookie policy">Privacy</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://uit.stanford.edu/security/copyright-infringement" title="Report alleged copyright infringement">Copyright</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://adminguide.stanford.edu/chapter-1/subchapter-5/policy-1-5-4" title="Ownership and use of Stanford trademarks and images">Trademarks</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/nonacademicregulations/nondiscrimination/" title="Non-discrimination policy">Non-Discrimination</a></li> <li><a class="hb-global-footer__link" href="https://www.stanford.edu/site/accessibility" title="Report web accessibility issues">Accessibility</a></li> </ul> </nav> <div class="su-global-footer__copyright"> <span>© Stanford University.</span> <span>  Stanford, California 94305.</span> </div> </div> </div> </section>  </footer> </div> <script type="application/json" data-drupal-selector="drupal-settings-json">{"path":{"baseUrl":"\/","pathPrefix":"","currentPath":"node\/13166","currentPathIsAdmin":false,"isFront":false,"currentLanguage":"en"},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"google_analytics":{"account":"G-B5CK806RYT","trackOutbound":true,"trackMailto":true,"trackDownload":true,"trackDownloadExtensions":"7z|aac|arc|arj|asf|asx|avi|bin|csv|doc(x|m)?|dot(x|m)?|exe|flv|gif|gz|gzip|hqx|jar|jpe?g|js|mp(2|3|4|e?g)|mov(ie)?|msi|msp|pdf|phps|png|ppt(x|m)?|pot(x|m)?|pps(x|m)?|ppam|sld(x|m)?|thmx|qtm?|ra(m|r)?|sea|sit|tar|tgz|torrent|txt|wav|wma|wmv|wpd|xls(x|m|b)?|xlt(x|m)|xlam|xml|z|zip","trackColorbox":true},"data":{"extlink":{"extTarget":false,"extTargetNoOverride":false,"extNofollow":false,"extNoreferrer":false,"extFollowNoOverride":false,"extClass":"ext","extLabel":"(link is external)","extImgClass":false,"extSubdomains":false,"extExclude":"","extInclude":"","extCssExclude":".text-long, .text-with-summary, #footer__global-footer, #header, #toolbar-administration","extCssExplicit":"","extAlert":false,"extAlertText":"This link will take you to an external web site. We are not responsible for their content.","mailtoClass":"mailto","mailtoLabel":"(link sends email)","extUseFontAwesome":true,"extIconPlacement":"append","extFaLinkClasses":"fas fa-arrow-right","extFaMailtoClasses":"far fa-envelope","whitelistedDomains":null}},"ajaxTrustedUrl":{"\/search":true},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"acaeae64760b4d94fca592393ebdd6ecbe5e76c3ea7d74282f9ed72d8351abe5"}}</script> <script src="/sites/classics/files/js/js_aj8ZabHP2Dn5FZoaxS1KPQ3KkPvPbSGzlKcKGFHDKPw.js?scope=footer&delta=0&language=en&theme=humsci_traditional&include=eJxdizEOAyEMBD-E4ichHzacFYMRNlLu96FIlWKLmdE2s6accaA-IcWh_Yl0e0bqMoC44tbIftuKsuOk3b1IjoUkIXYucKFz4k-ojDfQ2hP19cPkgaPaotyZBIHEp-KTfGI_G2BX3V4w-At3_jtc"></script> </body> </html>