Men, methods and materials: exploring the historical connections between geology and medicine

Petrified animals: fossil beads from a Neolithic hunter-gatherer double burial at Zvejnieki in Latvia

“…Their surface features, perceived as reflecting their inner qualities, seem to be crucial for the selection and use of the fossils (Johanson 2018a: 160). Further evidence for interpreting fossil finds is provided by folklore and mythology, which, for example, refer to apotropaic properties or use for medical and healing purposes (Duffin 2008(Duffin , 2017Johanson 2018a & b;Johanson & Jonuks 2018), symbolism as charms or amulets (Oakley 1985;Conneller 2011;McNamara 2011;Leeming 2015;Taylor 2016) and their magical powers associated with their resemblance to once living organisms (Leeming 2015: 17). Even if they were used in their natural form, their intentional working and suspension suggest that their selection did not happen by chance.…”