Fossil Fish Display
There are places in the world where the presence of fossils makes them very special.
The Jurassic Coast in southern England, for example, can be considered the birthplace of palaeontology. Similarly, the bone fields of the Gobi Desert, Australia’s Ediacara Hills, the stunning window into Cambrian life that is Canada’s Burgess Shale – all are iconic fossil bearing locations and well known to anyone with an interest in ancient life.
However, in terms of sheer abundance of fossils, few places can rival the Green River Formation on the Great Plains of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. The chances are that if you collect fossils, at least one of your collection will come from this rock formation.
Formed 50 million years ago from three huge freshwater lakes, the rocks of Green River consist primarily of fine-grained sandstones and mudstones – perfect for preserving the fine detail of the animals that lived and died there in the early Eocene epoch.
This beautiful example of a well-known Green River Formation fish is now available in the Timeless Galleries. The species’ full name is Priscacara liops – a type of ancient predatory perch, often found in 'mortality plates' where many individuals died together, suggesting that P. liops was a shoaling fish.
Provenance
Acquired by Timeless on the UK Mineral and Fossil Market, 2017. Originally of North American provenance.
Viking Decorated Comb
The Vikings made their combs to last.
Typically cast in bronze, or carved from bone or elk antler, combs often featured as Viking grave goods alongside weapons, jewellery, tools and equestrian equipment. This lovely example is a miniature double comb, probably belonging to a child, and dates from the 11th or 12th century AD.
It is decorated with a zig-zag pattern and, based on their position in graves, was probably worn at the belt, or around the neck in a bag or case (Viking comb cases are occasionally discovered).
This tiny, thousand-year-old comb is only 45mm long - a beautiful and enigmatic piece that could be yours to own.
Provenance
Acquired by Timeless on the UK antiquities market in 2018, previously in a private collection of a professional collector formed during the 1990s.