Perhaps one of the most beautiful and truly astonishing things that the nature creates are seashells, which have been a cause of fascination in humans for longer than we could keep track of. People have used seashells for numerous reasons throughout history that vary more than the first few things that could come to mind. Here’s a full dive into all the ways that we have used seashells for centuries first and follow up with the way those said shells are created to be in both the low light tides and the darker depths of the seas.
To start off with the primary thing that comes to mind these days when we think of seashells; jewelry. The first ever seashells that were used in jewelry making were found in morocco and date back to 150 thousand years ago; so it wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that humans have been using seashells as beads and pendants for forever- the discovered set of seashells also happen to be the oldest ever jewelry of human history ever found. And looking at today, thousands of centuries later, people are still making necklaces, earrings and bracelets along with other types of jewelry using countless types of shells. Still fairly common in especially coastal places, shells used in jewelry making is something that has become one with humanity, millenia after millenia.
Music, something that is primitive with humans have also been linked to seashells 17 thousand years ago as a conch trumpet. With their distinct and definitely loud sounds, conches that were bigger in size have been used as horns for both music and communication. Along with using them for sound through blowing air, people have also filled smaller shells with sand, seeds, pebbeles and such to combine them into making a rattling sound.
Another use of shells was in currency and trades, starting in around 7th centry BCE. Especially “Cowrie” shells were used as currency, the use of it ranging from West to North to South all over the world, also spreading to pacific islands. The c0wrie shells were widely used in Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, with the way they were found easily and in big quantities but were still having variations enough in rarity, size and quality to hold value to be used in trade; they were used in Western ,Africa as well where they connected the shells through making small holes and binding them together with pieces of string. Going west to North America, quahog and whelk shells were used to make wampum which resembles coins of today well enough that it’s doesnt come surprising that it was used as currency. Native American tribes used them in their trades and exchanges along with ritualistic purposes through stringing them as belts to wear. Similar ways of using either raw or processed seashells as currency or exchange mediums were also widely common in China, the İndian Ocean, and Southeast of Asia.
Along with being used as currency, in some builds especially in coastline cities and communities, you could also see seashells being used in construction and the architecture of the place. Wether it be shells etched in the walls as decorations or oyster shell mixed with ash, water and sand to create coastal concrete or “tabby”, which can hold up well enough in places without too much outer factors that affect builds negatively.
Seashells can also be widely spotted in decorative crafts, wether it be in articulately designed decorations that you can hang or display basically anywhere, put in or outside jars or candles, made into big or small scale mosaics. These kinds of uses of seashells can be found still in cave paintings and walls, archeological ruins and findings and in the current times that we are living through.
In conclusion, the journey through the various history of seashells unveils their timeless significance in human civilization. From the ancient use of shells as the earliest form of jewelry in Morocco 150 thousand years ago to their role as primitive musical instruments, currency, and tools across different continents and coastlines, seashells have definitely made a place for themselves into the collective human history.
