Ammonite Fossil in a Limestone Slab

Ammonites take their name from Ammon, an Egyptian god often shown with curling ram's horns. The Roman writer Pliny called these fossils horns of Ammon. The name has stuck for nearly two thousand years. This big ribbed spiral sits in a cracked gray limestone slab among loose stones, still damp after rain. The tight center and the widening ribs give an ammonite jigsaw puzzle a natural place to begin.