Verona: While scampering around the Roman Arena in Verona, Italy on Saturday, I noticed this large fossil shell imbedded in one of the marble steps. I wonder if the Romans noticed these while building the place. They're all over the Arena and are very easy to spot.

A cursory search via Google reveals that very little has been written about ancient attitudes toward fossils. Searches repeatedly point to a book called "The First Fossil Hunters", which suggests fossils may have had a key role in generating some of the mythology of Greece and Rome.

The classic story is that elephant skulls, with their giant nasal cavity, look like the skulls of a huge one-eyed creature, and are often credited with generating the Cyclops myth. As for these shells in the steps of the Arena... who knows!