Putting Samotherium in its Place

Book excerpt: This book covers three interrelated topics in the field of palaeontology/zoology. First, it presents the story of the paleontological excavations on Samos, the birth place of Pythagoras, which is famous for its rich Miocene mammalian fossils and faunas. It covers in detail the history and the ancient myths that explain the fossils. These myths clearly show how the Greeks interpreted the fossils. It also shows documents and images of the Barnum Brown Samos expeditions which took place in 1924. The second section covers in detail and compares the osteology of three species: the giraffe, the okapi and the extinct giraffid Samotherium. The third section of the book explains the depositional history of the eastern basin of Samos, including maps which document the location of the famous bone quarries and the radiometric ages of various horizons.