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Ammonites were familiar to the early Greeks,
who likened them to coiled goat horns, regarding
them as sacred symbols because of their association
with the horned god, Jupiter Ammon. They were known
as Cornu Ammonis - horns of Ammon - from which the
scientific name 'ammonite' was later derived.
The horns of Ammon became associated with Alexander
the Great when, after his conquests, he took the
title Son of Ammon. Coins that appeared near the end
of his reign show horns with markings on them.
However, even more apparent ammonite-like features
are found on coins of one of Alexander's generals,
Lysimachus, to whom a kingdom was given.
Ammonites were used as protection against
snakebites, as well as cures for blindness,
barrenness and impotence (Bassett 1982). The notion
that they would be an effective antidote for
snakebites is an example of sympathetic medicine -
where the cure resembles the cause of the illness.
Rudkin and Barnett (1979) relate how some
Romans believed that they could predict the future
if they slept with a golden (pyritised) ammonite
under their pillow.
These are also called buffalo stone. They
believed that buffalo stones could procreate, a
mother stone hatching baby stones. According to
Grinnel (quoted in Kehoe 1965), buffalo stones are
'found on the prairie, and the person who succeeds
in obtaining one is regarded as very fortunate. It
suppose to give fortune, happiness and power to the
owner. If
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