Randall Smith's Reviews > The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times

In 2006, Chinese farmers digging in Chongquing province found a skeleton of a head and long spine. Since they couldn’t find any other bones, the locals made the completely rational conclusion that it must have been a dragon. Paleontologists came to the less satisfying conclusion that it was the neck of a dinosaur from 160 million years ago, a dinosaur known for its extremely long neck. If modern Chinese farmers could come upon dinosaur bones, it makes sense that ancient farmers must have made similar discoveries. And if they did, what conclusions would they draw?

While the above is not in The First Fossil Hunters, it is an example of the book’s premise: ancients were well aware of fossils and made interpretations of them. Most interpreted them as giants and monsters, but there were others who thought of them as part of natural history. This is an idea that seems perfectly reasonable to me and yet is something that I hadn’t imagined. But once the idea is presented, it allows for a new perspective of re-reading Pliny especially, and re-examining Greek myths. My only complaint is that after the initial idea is discussed, the book is a little repetitive.