That’s one big “armadillo.” Today’s Exhibit of the Day is the enormous Panochthus frenzelianus, a glyptodont! You might not guess it, but scientists think one of their closest relatives includes the tiny 4-oz (113-g) pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus).
Some species of glyptodont, like the specimen pictured here, were the size of cars. They were covered in thick armor made from bone that grew from within their skin and could grow up to 10 ft (3 m) long. Their shells, or carapaces, were incredibly heavy: Some weighed more than 1,100 pounds (499 kg)! These enormous plant-eaters lumbered across the Americas for millions of years before their extinction at the end of the last ice age.
In ancient times, the Rhine was a major communications artery stretching right across Europe, allowing trade, contacts, and cultural exchange between different regions. Then as now, the river was of immense importance strategically for controlling trade routes and as a source of raw materials. Along the Rhine, Celtic, Germanic, and Mediterranean cultures met, fought, and influenced one another. A new exhibition at the Antikenmuseum in Basel, Switzerland – Ave Caesar! Romans, Gauls and Germanic tribes on the Banks of the Rhine – reevaluates the profound changes brought about by centuries of exchange in the region during Antiquity. James Blake Wiener speaks to Dr. Esaù Dozio, a curator at the Antikenmuseum, in order to learn more.
