You may have a vague understanding that cowries were once used as currency in ancient times. You might even associate cowrie shells with the Western culture in Nigeria, particularly among the Yorubas.

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. Small seashells have many ...

Small seashells have many characteristics that make them ideal monetary objects. They are durable, portable, and difficult to imitate. One species of cowrie shell is known as the money shell because ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Money cowries (Monetaria moneta) retrieved from the São Bento. Mudzunga Munzhedzi (2019). KwaZulu-Natal Museum In the archaeology ...