Professor Caroline Winterer

They began in the 1850s, 60s, and 70s to create these extraordinary colored landscape paintings of this time that no one had ever seen and no one ever would see because humans didn't come along until many millions of years later. They began to imagine

They began in the 1850s, 60s, and 70s to create these extraordinary colored landscape paintings of this time that no one had ever seen and no one ever would see because humans didn't come along until many millions of years later. They began to imagine

They began in the 1850s, 60s, and 70s to create these extraordinary colored landscape paintings of this time that no one had ever seen and no one ever would see because humans didn't come along until many millions of years later. They began to imagine

that not only was North America very old and that it had this enormous antiquity of the Jurassic and the Cretaceous, but that very significantly, these were older than the native peoples who now live there on the dry land of places like the Nebraska territory, which white Americans were trying to take over.

that not only was North America very old and that it had this enormous antiquity of the Jurassic and the Cretaceous, but that very significantly, these were older than the native peoples who now live there on the dry land of places like the Nebraska territory, which white Americans were trying to take over.

that not only was North America very old and that it had this enormous antiquity of the Jurassic and the Cretaceous, but that very significantly, these were older than the native peoples who now live there on the dry land of places like the Nebraska territory, which white Americans were trying to take over.

And so there was a very sharp political dimension to the claims of the antiquity of North America. It was that it was older than the most ancient peoples who lived there, the, quote, Native Americans. So it was essentially white Americans saying, you say you're the first Americans, but in fact, the first Americans were T-Rexes and Brontosauruses. So don't even try. And trilobites.

And so there was a very sharp political dimension to the claims of the antiquity of North America. It was that it was older than the most ancient peoples who lived there, the, quote, Native Americans. So it was essentially white Americans saying, you say you're the first Americans, but in fact, the first Americans were T-Rexes and Brontosauruses. So don't even try. And trilobites.

And so there was a very sharp political dimension to the claims of the antiquity of North America. It was that it was older than the most ancient peoples who lived there, the, quote, Native Americans. So it was essentially white Americans saying, you say you're the first Americans, but in fact, the first Americans were T-Rexes and Brontosauruses. So don't even try. And trilobites.

And trilobites, yeah. Don't even try. And that this solid, dry land that you are now living on, they were speaking to the Lakota Sioux, for example, this dry land is not yours. It is ours. And we take claim of the deep antiquity beneath your feet. In a sense, the Cretaceous and the Jurassic, they're not just sort of sitting there passively awaiting discovery.

And trilobites, yeah. Don't even try. And that this solid, dry land that you are now living on, they were speaking to the Lakota Sioux, for example, this dry land is not yours. It is ours. And we take claim of the deep antiquity beneath your feet. In a sense, the Cretaceous and the Jurassic, they're not just sort of sitting there passively awaiting discovery.

And trilobites, yeah. Don't even try. And that this solid, dry land that you are now living on, they were speaking to the Lakota Sioux, for example, this dry land is not yours. It is ours. And we take claim of the deep antiquity beneath your feet. In a sense, the Cretaceous and the Jurassic, they're not just sort of sitting there passively awaiting discovery.

They are invented and created partly for political uses.

They are invented and created partly for political uses.

They are invented and created partly for political uses.

Oh, yes. It is just a riot of wonder. And they have fun with it, right? They pull out the Mosasaurus, which is named after the Meuse River in northern Belgium, where they find some of these sea creatures. Also, when they're digging for coal and things like that, And so they sort of say, oh, well, we have a Meuse River monster as well.

Oh, yes. It is just a riot of wonder. And they have fun with it, right? They pull out the Mosasaurus, which is named after the Meuse River in northern Belgium, where they find some of these sea creatures. Also, when they're digging for coal and things like that, And so they sort of say, oh, well, we have a Meuse River monster as well.

Oh, yes. It is just a riot of wonder. And they have fun with it, right? They pull out the Mosasaurus, which is named after the Meuse River in northern Belgium, where they find some of these sea creatures. Also, when they're digging for coal and things like that, And so they sort of say, oh, well, we have a Meuse River monster as well.

And as you say, the Ammonites, these, you know, if you can imagine a car tire that is swirled, and they fill museums with these wondrous sea creatures. And imagine, you know, this North America that is so alien to them that now it's just flat sand. boring Midwest, what Americans call flyover territory, right? You fly from New York to San Francisco and it's all the flat stuff in between.

And as you say, the Ammonites, these, you know, if you can imagine a car tire that is swirled, and they fill museums with these wondrous sea creatures. And imagine, you know, this North America that is so alien to them that now it's just flat sand. boring Midwest, what Americans call flyover territory, right? You fly from New York to San Francisco and it's all the flat stuff in between.