Ammonite

“Ammonite” is believed to have been coined by Pliny the Elder (23 AD–79 AD), a Roman author, philosopher and an early commander of the Roman Empire. He called these fossilized shells “ammonis cornua” (horns of Ammon) after the Egyptian god Ammon. Ammon was often shown wearing ram’s horns which somewhat resembled the spiral shape of the ammonites.