Glossopetra (Tongue stone)

Glossopetra (Tongue stone), by Pietro Santi Bartoli (1635-1700) from a drawing by Agostino Scilla (1639-1700). Plate 5 from De corporibus marinis lapidescentibus quae defossa reperiuntur, Romae: Typis Antonii de Rubeis (1747) which contains the first Latin translation of the Italian painter Agostino Scilla's only palaeontological (and heavily influential) work La vana speculazione disingannata dal senso (Vain speculation undeceived by sense) (1670) in which he argued that fossils were not the magical objects many believed them to be but were petrefactions (that is fossils) of once living organisms. The image shows a Glossopetra literally Tongue stone which Scilla (amongst others during this period) identified as fossilised shark's tooth. The tooth is shown embedded in a matrix, and the cast once it has been removed. Engraving

1670 1747 Agostino Amongst Argued Bartoli Believed Contains Embedded Fossils Fossilss Geological Heavily Identified Literally Magical Matrix Organisms Palaeontological Palaeontology Quae Removed Santi Scilla Scillas Sense Senso Seventeenth Shark Speculation Tongue Tooth Translation Vain Vana

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