ORTHOCERAS SCULPTURE - 400 million years old - Morocco
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400 million years old
Rissani, near Erfoud, Morocco
A slab of black limestone containing Orthoceras that has been carved and polished in a way unique to these particular fossils. The Moroccan craftsmen polish only parts of these slabs leaving the rest unpolished - producing a distinctive 'sculpture'. This piece has been skillfully cut thinly so that it is not unreasonably heavy for its size.
Orthoceras was a primitive marine animal with a tapering cylindrical shell made up of closely-spaced chambers. It is related to the ammonites. It was common in the seas 400 million years ago and must have been an active swimmer, scavenging on small animals.
Orthoceras became extinct at the end of the Triassic period. The fossils are in black limestone that was originally a mud on the ancient sea floor. The fossils themselves are preserved in white calcite which makes a nice contrast to the limestone.
400 million years old
Rissani, near Erfoud, Morocco
A slab of black limestone containing Orthoceras that has been carved and polished in a way unique to these particular fossils. The Moroccan craftsmen polish only parts of these slabs leaving the rest unpolished - producing a distinctive 'sculpture'. This piece has been skillfully cut thinly so that it is not unreasonably heavy for its size.
Orthoceras was a primitive marine animal with a tapering cylindrical shell made up of closely-spaced chambers. It is related to the ammonites. It was common in the seas 400 million years ago and must have been an active swimmer, scavenging on small animals.
Orthoceras became extinct at the end of the Triassic period. The fossils are in black limestone that was originally a mud on the ancient sea floor. The fossils themselves are preserved in white calcite which makes a nice contrast to the limestone.
Size: approx. 38 x 20 x 5 centimetres
Weight: 3.67 kilograms
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