The geologic period 430-400 million years ago. Simple tube shaped plants venture onto land, corals and sponges dominate, and simple jawed fishes evolve. The "big fish" was a scorpion-like thing called Eurypterid. (Called that by us, not by themselves. They likely called themselves "Bob".)

Back: The Ordovician period
On: The Devonian period

Si*lu"ri*an (?), a. [From L. Silures, a people who anciently inhabited a part of England and Wales.] Geol.

Of or pertaining to the country of the ancient Silures; -- a term applied to the earliest of the Paleozoic eras, and also to the strata of the era, because most plainly developed in that country.

⇒ The Silurian formation, so named by Murchison, is divided into the Upper Silurian and Lower Silurian. The lower part of the Lower Silurian, with some underlying beds, is now separated under the name Cambrian, first given by Sedwick. Recently the term Ordovician has been proposed for the Lower Silurian, leawing the original word to apply only to the Upper Silurian.

© Webster 1913.

Si*lu"ri*an, n.

The Silurian age.

© Webster 1913.