Cincinnati Museum Center’s new fossil exhibit transports guests to time before dinosaurs

A new addition to the Cincinnati Museum Center’s permanent gallery collection promises to transport guests back 450 million years to a time even before the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

The “Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight” gallery showcases a collection of Late Ordovician Period fossils. The Ordovician is the earliest period of the Paleozoic Era highlighted in the exhibit. 

Museumgoers will begin by exploring an underwater environment like one found during the Ordovician Period. They’ll then make their way to dry land to experience the Carboniferous Period.

The exhibit opens Thursday, Sept. 28.

“We hear 450 million years ago and think this time and these creatures are so far removed from us, but we’re ready to show you they’re much closer than you realize,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center.

It’s not surprising an exhibit about the Ordovician Period is taking place in southwest Ohio. Many of the trilobites, arthropods, early echinoderms and giant cephalopods of that time thrived in warm marine areas such as the one now known as Greater Cincinnati.

Today, residents and visitors to southwest Ohio can find fossils from the period while splashing through local creek beds or exploring parks, according to Brenda Hunda, curator of invertebrate paleontology for CMC.

“That’s what makes our rocks and fossils so amazing – you can grab a bag and a rock hammer, travel to a local creek or outcrop and transport yourself back in time,” she said. 

While rooted in the past, CMC staff noted that the exhibit also touches on several topics relatable to the contemporary world. That includes things like climate change, evolution, extinction and species diversification.

“Our newest exhibit uses our incredible fossil collection to not just educate you about a bygone era of biodiversity, but to nurture curiosity, illuminate career paths for future scientists and inspire connection between people as they discover a new hobby of fossil hunting,” Pierce said.

A centerpiece of the exhibit is Ohio’s state fossil, Isotelus maximus, a large-plated invertebrate. The CMC described it as resembling a stretched-out horseshoe crab or an aquatic armadillo. 

As visitors move through the exhibit into the Silurian and Devonian periods, they’ll encounter the historic remains of other marine life creatures. That includes a Dunkleosteus, a large, armored fish with massive jaws.

Beyond the fossils, the museum space features themed soundscapes, 10-foot-wide monitors and touchscreens to help immerse the audience in an ancient underwater setting.

There will also be other interactive elements, including bronze models and touchable rocks full of fossils.

Champion More Curiosity

“Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight” is the latest update to the CMC as part of its $112 million museum experience refresh. Funding for the enhancements came through the museum’s ongoing Champion More Curiosity campaign. 

Since 2018, the campaign has opened 15 new or reimagined exhibits and experiences at CMC, including “Made in Cincinnati” and the “John A. and Judy Ruthven Get Into Nature Gallery” in 2022. 

Additional exhibits and experiences are in development, per CMC. They plan to open them over the course of the next three years. 

Those interested in contributing to the Champion More Curiosity campaign can do so at supportcmc.org or at CMC’s box office.