Cowrie shells mean many things, from snail homes to fertility and money.

 

Currency

 

The use of cowrie shells as currency dates back to the Chinese Shiang dynasty (2000 BC) through the Zhou dynasty. Natural shells could not be counterfeited, and the sources for cowrie shells were so far from China that only kings could afford to import them. The Chinese character for a cowrie shell is "bei," now a part of almost 400 Chinese characters representing value. Cowrie shells saw great use in Africa as currency, especially in the slave trade. Among the Kuba people of Central Africa, cowrie shells were used as currency until the early 20th century. Cowrie shells were the most popular currency within Africa. Pictures of cowrie shells adorned cave walls. The Egyptians considered them to be magical agents and also used them as currency in foreign exchange transactions. Archaeologists have excavated millions of them in the tombs of the Pharaohs. READ MORE

​