Cowrie Shells The first use of cowries, the shell of a mollusc that was widely available in the shallow waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, was in China. Historically, many societies have ...

Caption University of Guam archaeologist Michael Carson measures a cowrie shell from an ancient octopus lure from the Mariana Islands. Carson’s published research on cowrie-shell artifacts found ...

The cowrie, a type of marine snail, has very colourful shells which were used as money ... A coin shaped like a spade was used in China in the 6th Century BC. Although it may seem an unusual ...