a plenty of which shells have been found in ancient time.
Answers
eashells – the outer skeletons of marine mollusks – have fascinated humans since ancient times. Ancient societies used them as tools, currency, ornaments and spiritual objects. Beginning in the 17th century, European colonial trade and exploration in the Far East and Australasia brought back exotic seashells for wealthy collectors in Europe who prized them as precious items. This inspired conchylomania, or “madness for collecting shells,” which derives from the Latin word “concha” for “mussel.”
Cowry Shells as Money
The cowry (sometimes written as “cowrie") shell has been used as money since the 13th century B.C. throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is an ovoid and brightly marked shell of marine gastropods belonging to the Cypraeidae family that are native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Around 200 living species of Cypraeidae have the same basic shape and size. This meant that the shells did not need to be counted on payment but simply weighed. Ancient Egyptians used sacks of cowry shells as symbols of wealth, and West African tribes used them for dowries. Durable and easy to handle, cowries remained in use as a currency in West Africa until the 20th century.