The toad stone (Scheenstia tooth) on the reliquary of Saint Maurus at Bečov Castle (Czech Republic) and its significance

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00094862%3A_____%2F24%3A10000410" target="_blank" >RIV/00094862:_____/24:10000410 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216224:14210/24:00135660

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The toad stone (Scheenstia tooth) on the reliquary of Saint Maurus at Bečov Castle (Czech Republic) and its significance

Original language description

This paper deals with the oldest evidence of the use of a Scheenstia tooth (Mesozoic lepisosteiform fish) as part of the gem decoration on the early 13th-century reliquary of St. Maurus kept at Bečov nad Teplou Castle (Petschau in German, Czech Republic). Since the Middle Ages, these teeth have been thought to be toad stones found in the heads of toads. Until the discovery of the toad stone on the reliquary of St. Maurus, no tangible evidence relating to this stone from this period was known. The discovery of a fossil tooth on such an important sacred art object was preceded by a similar discovery of two teeth on the imperial crown dated to the 14th century and heldin the Aachen Cathedral Treasury. Color variations in about 500 specimens of teeth from more than 24 European localities were studied.to find out how the color of teeth differs both within one locality and between individual localities. The goal was to understand whether it is possible to determine the provenance of teeth set as part of gem decoration in the reliquary of St. Maurus and in the crown on thebust of Charlemagne in Aachen. In addition, a comparison of the colors of toad stones from the most important medieval sources withfossil Scheenstia teeth is discussed. Not all toad stones described in medieval literature can be identified with fossil teeth.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_SC - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the SCOPUS database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10506 - Paleontology

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Revue de Paléobiologie

ISSN

0253-6730

e-ISSN

1661-5468

Volume of the periodical

43

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

9

Pages from-to

35-43

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

999