Ancient history

The myth of the Griffin

Griffins , fabulous animals of Greek mythology, are representations inspired by Protoceratops , quadrupedal dinosaurs About two meters long and equipped with a hooked beak, which became extinct over 60 million years ago.
Eggs (frozen in permafrost) and protoceratops skeletons have been found in the territory of the ancient Issedones .
Griffins were referred to as the "guardians of gold" because in the area there are the granites of the Azzurri mountains and the Altai (the Altai root means "gold") which were the traditional source of gold of the Scythians :the metal surfaced due to erosion and the wind accumulated it, suggesting the image of griffins defending piles of gold.
The griffin it was represented with wings, which the protoceratops did not have, by simple deduction:an animal with a beak that laid eggs could only be a bird.