Big Shell or Ammonite

Keeow our next door neighbour came to tell us about about a big shell that had been dug up in a village locally. Paa then related stories about shells that had been dug up that people could stand in and suggested that they were live the ammonite that I wear around my neck. I was intrigued because the area is volcanic so no fossils to be found .... unless the info I had from the Geological Society equivalent in Thailand was wrong. Lets go and see I said immediately, I think that they were all hoping I would say that so that the petrol was free :-)

So off we went to see the mysterious shell, about 10km we eventually found the house. The shell was about 6 inches long, it was a seashell and it wasnt in a good condition, and probably that when it was buried.

What was of interest were the things that had been found buried alongside it. Many stones, often rounded, half a dozen pieces of black obsidion which is formed by volcanic heat and two things that can only be descibed as nearly flat pestle and mortars. The shell can be just seen in the pic and the older looking of the pestle and mortars. So maybe it was old or ancient Khymer artifacts that had been buried somehow. My guess would be 100 or more years old but could from a lot earlier. My plan will be to look at local museums and try to guess the date.