Lot 54J
Central Europe, Late Pleistocene, ca. 40000 to 10000 years ago. An antler rack and partial skull from a massive red deer (Cervus elephus) with the UNBROKEN antlers still attached. This would make a phenomenal display piece alongside primitive hunting weapons of prehistoric man, who relied heavily on this animal! The color is natural and is a rich golden brown. This is a rare fossil from a beast that is seldom found in Late Pleistocene fossil collections. Size: 28" W (71.1 cm)
Along with the reindeer, the Red Deer were crucial animals to the survival of prehistoric humans all across Europe. These animals were one of the main food sources hunted by Upper Paleolithic Cro-Magnons. Later, in the Neolithic and into the Bronze Age, ancient humans would use their antlers to fashion into hammers to work stone and bronze.
Very few museums show impressive fossils of the Red Deer despite their importance in the fossil record and in prehistoric human history. This is a rare chance to acquire a specimen worthy of a museum exhibit.
Despite the numbers of prehistoric herds, the fossils of the Red Deer are abnormally absent from the fossil record. Antler pieces are sometimes found that are much smaller than this large rack, but that is about it. Perhaps prehistoric humans were so complete and resourceful in hunting that every remain was used, leaving little behind. They were more delicate in skeletal anatomy than bison or rhino certainly, but their sheer numbers were so great, you would think the fossils would be as common as horse, but they are not.
Provenance: Purchased from a German collector in 2004
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#120930
- Condition: No repair or restoration, presented as found.
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