palaeontology

The study of ancient life, encompassing the structure of ancient organisms and their environment, evolution, and ecology, as revealed by their fossils and the rocks in which those fossils are found. The practical aspects of palaeontology are based on using the presence of different fossils to date particular rock strata and to identify rocks that were laid down under particular conditions; for instance, giving rise to the formation of oil.

The use of fossils to trace the age of rocks was pioneered in Germany by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1830) at Göttingen, followed by Georges Cuvier and Alexandre Brongniart in France in 1811.