Have you ever wondered about the true nature of cowrie shells? Where do they come from? Are they simply shells, or is there more to their story? You may have a vague understanding that cowries were ...

One of the most important Hindu holidays, Diwali, represents prosperity and light. On this day, worshipping Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi brings luck, prosperity, and wealth. Among the many ...

“Before you do anything else,” curator Chris Meyer said the minute I arrived at the National Museum of Natural History’s Invertebrate Zoology collection, “you have to vote for beauty.” He led me ...

All these snakehead cowries were found dead. Sand grains wedged in the opening are a sure sign that neither the cowry nor a hermit crab lives inside. Select an option below to continue reading this ...

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, Vol. 23, No. 1 (2001), pp. 27-38 (12 pages) Ornamental employment of Chestnut Cowry (Cypraea spadicea) shell artifacts in southern California ...

Cowries of the species Monetaria moneta and Monetaria annulus are marine gastropods native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Both species served historically as currency in West Africa. Archaeologists have ...

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, amid the pomp of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stood out from the crowd. Seated among a sea of white conservatives and ...

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is not just about diyas and sweets - it’s also a time to invite prosperity and divine blessings into your home. One special ritual gaining attention is buying and ...

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. This shell brooch was made by Ruth ...