3D model of a Fossil Fish Plate (NHMW-GEO-1880/0017/0995)

<p>3D scan of a small limestone plate with a fossilized fish. The species is one of the most common lagoon fish that lived in the Jurassic (150 million years ago) in the southern German area,&nbsp;<em>Anaethalion knorri</em>.</p><p>The engravement at the bottom is a Vergil-Cento, uniting parts of the Aeneis and the Georgica and is written in Latin. The author is unknown. He reports on a deadly, everything annihilating flood. Obviously, he
interpreted the fossil fish as a victim of the Deluge.&nbsp;This was a revolutionary idea, as most scholars from that time
considered fossils to be formed from rock. They were seen as mere
playfulness of nature, but were never seen as former living organisms.
Therefore, this plate is the oldest document of the right interpretation
of a fossil from a former living organism.&nbsp;The text was engraved in Latin: <em>“Tunc pater omnipotens graviter commotus ab alto.
Aethere se mittit: tellurem et fundit in undas
diluuium mittens. Coelumqve in tartara solvit
sternit agros: sternit sata le ta bovmqve labores
dilvit: implen tur fossae: et cava flumina crescunt.
Et genus omne necipecudum dedit omne ferarum.” </em></p><p><em>Free translation to German:&nbsp;</em><em>“Hierauf begibt der allmächtige Vater in wildem Zorn sich vom hohen Äther:
Er gießt in die Wogen das Land, schickend die Flut, und löst den Himmel zur Tiefe.
Nichtet die Äcker, vernichtet die Fluren, die Mühe der Stiere macht er zunichte.
Es füllen die Gräben sich, Flussläufe schwellen, und alles Leben dem Tod übergibt er.“</em></p><p>The roman numeral M.D.XLIII dates the object, or the time of the engravement, to the year 1543.</p><p>This
was a revolutionary idea, as most scholars from that time considered
fossils to be formed from rock. They were seen as mere playfulness of
nature, but were never seen as former living organisms. Therefore, this
plate is the oldest document of the right interpretation of a fossil
from a former living organism.</p>

<p>Latin Poetry</p>
<p>The text was engraved in Latin: <em>“Tunc pater omnipotens graviter commotus ab alto.
Aethere se mittit: tellurem et fundit in undas
diluuium mittens. Coelumqve in tartara solvit
sternit agros: sternit sata le ta bovmqve labores
dilvit: implen tur fossae: et cava flumina crescunt.
Et genus omne necipecudum dedit omne ferarum.”</em></p>

<p>Free Translation into German</p>
<p><em>“Hierauf begibt der allmächtige Vater in wildem Zorn sich vom hohen Äther:
Er gießt in die Wogen das Land, schickend die Flut, und löst den Himmel zur Tiefe.
Nichtet die Äcker, vernichtet die Fluren, die Mühe der Stiere macht er zunichte.
Es füllen die Gräben sich, Flussläufe schwellen, und alles Leben dem Tod übergibt er.“</em></p>

<p>1543</p>
<p>The roman numeral M.D.XLIII dates the object, or the time of the engravement, to the year 1543.</p>

<p>Unseen Backsid</p>
<p>The backside from this plate is rather unsightly and only visible in this scan</p>