The fossil discoveries that changed our understanding of the world are brought to life in this illustrated book. The discovery of fossils has revolutionized our relationship with nature, our understanding of evolution and the story of the Earth. Fossils - the remains of once-living organizms - from seashells to dinosaur bones have fascinated us for thousands of years. Early Cro-magnon man collected them and placed them as treasured objects in tombs with the dead. "Petrified Life" tells the stories of the fossil discoveries that unlocked the secrets of the past. Told in the order of discovery, the stories take you on an archaeological journey. Within the 20th century we came to understand that we inhabited a fragile and unpredictable world where whole species dominate and are then wiped out. Each fossil discovery included is a story in its own right.