San Marino 2025 "Europe - National Archaeological Discoveries"
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| Issue Date | 11.02.2025 |
| ID | Michel: , Scott: , Stanley Gibbons: Yvert et Tellier: , Category: pF, pR |
| Design | Monika Dattner |
| Stamps in set | 1 |
| Value | €2.45 - Titanocetus sammarinensis |
| Emission/Type | commemorative |
| Issue place | San Marino |
| Size (width x height) | stamp: 30 mm x 40 mm, Mini-Sheet: 125mm x 95mm. |
| Layout | Mini-Sheet of 4 |
| Products | FDC x1 |
| Paper | |
| Perforation | 13.25 x 13.00 |
| Print Technique | Four-color offset, one Pantone and invisible fluorescent yellow ink |
| Printed by | Cartor Security Printing |
| Quantity | Mini-Sheets: 6.000 (24.000 stamps) |
| Issuing Authority | Poste San Marino |
On February 11th, 2025, the Post Authority of San Marino issued the stamp "Europe - National Archaeological Discoveries".
The stamp shows a fossil and reconstruction of a prehistoric whale Titanocetus sammarinensis. It was issued in a Mini-Sheet of four with reconstruction of the whale in its living environment on selvages. As was mentioned in the official press release, the stamp was dedicated to National archaeological discoveries and highlights the rich historical and cultural heritage of the Republic of San Marino. However, Archaeological Discovery was mixed up with Paleontological one.
| Archaeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. |
Paleontology is the scientific study of life of the geologic past that involves
the analysis of plant and animal fossils, including those of microscopic size, preserved
in rocks. |
Titanocetus sammarinensis, commonly known as the "San Marino Fin Whale", is an extinct species of baleen whale that inhabited the ancient Paratethys Sea, a shallow inland sea that covered much of central and eastern Europe during the Miocene Epoch, approximately 10–12 million years ago. Titanocetus sammarinensis resembled modern baleen whales, but was considerably smaller. The skull measured just over one meter in length, and the entire whale is estimated to have reached about six meters.
The whale exhibits a combination of primitive and advanced features:
Primitive features: the squamosal and parietal bones extended into the temporal fenestra, a characteristic reminiscent of early cetaceans.
Advanced features: the whale possessed a wide, flat rostrum and other features that are typical of modern baleen whales.
Titanocetus sammarinensis bridges the gap between primitive and modern baleen whales, highlighting the complex evolutionary processes that have shaped these marine mammals. Its discovery in San Marino has provided valuable insights into the evolution of early baleen whales.
The first fossil remains of the whale were unearthed in 1897 in a stone quarry near the summit of Mount Titano in San Marino. These remains, including the skull, attracted significant attention from the scientific community. In 1901, Italian paleontologist and Professor of Geology at the University of Bologna, Giovanni Capellini (1833-1922) described the species and named it Aulocetus sammarinensis.
Over a century later, in 2006, Italian paleontologist Michelangelo Bisconti reclassified the species into a new genus, Titanocetus, due to distinct anatomical features that set it apart from other members of the genus Aulocetus.
The genus name Titanocetus means the whale from Mount Titano (not a "titan whale" as might be thought). "Titano", referring to the Mount Titano where the holotype was found, while "cetus" is a Greek word for whale.
The discovery of Titanocetus sammarinensis not only enhances our understanding of cetacean evolution, but also highlights the paleontological importance of San Marino, a small nation with a significant contribution to the field.
The original fossils are kept at the Giovanni Capellini Museum of Paleontology and Geology in Bologna, while the right hemimandible, the cast of the skull, the ribs and the left hemimandible are exhibited at the Natural History Museum of San Marino.
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| Clean FDC | Circulated FDC | |
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Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page.References
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- Technical details: Poste San Marino,
- Titanocetus sammarinensis:
"Titanocetus,
a new baleen whale from the middle Miocene of northern Italy (mammalia, cetacea, mysticeti)", by
Michelangelo Biscont, published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 26(2):344–354 in June 2006.
Wikipedia. - Giovanni_Capellini: Wikipedia.
- Giovanni Capellini Museum of Paleontology and Geology in Bologna: official website.
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