Seashells by the Seashore

Summer vacation for many mean going to the beach. Most of us have probably strolled along the sand, or sat watching the waves come in. And at least as a child, when we found a seashell lying in the sand, it was an irresistible urge to pick it up and take it home. It seems that urge has been around for a very long time because owning and using seashells goes as far back as perhaps the first humans to walk along the shore.

There are countless kinds of shells ranging in size, shape and colour. They are created as a “mobile home” by marine creatures such as snails, clams and scallops. The more rare, the more valuable they are to us. And such was the case for our ancestors who used shells as money, but they were also used in medicines, ornaments and art.

Shells from mollusks were commonly used for many things. Mollusks include clams and snails and are found all over the world. In addition to living in the sea, bays, marshes and ponds: snails and clams have been found living on mountains. Snails are truly diverse, even living in trees!

The giant clam is the largest mollusk, weighing in up to 500 pounds.
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Mollusks have a great range in size. Some are as tiny as a sunflower seed while others are truly gargantuan! The largest mollusk is the tridacna clam, or giant clam. This monster can grow to four feet across and weight in at an incredible five hundred pounds!

Of the many kinds of shells used in the past however, it is doubtful that any held the high value of cowry shells. Cowry shells are found mostly in tropical areas and especially around islands in the Indian Ocean. They are created by a type of marine snail. The shells tend to be smooth egg-shaped and very shiny with a long narrow slit for an opening. Many have beautiful patterns of colors.

Use of cowry shells goes very far back. Archaeologists have found them in caves inhabited by Cro-Magnon man. Cowry shells have also been found at sites such as Saxon graves in Germany, pit dwellers of prehistoric England and Native American sites in North America.

Cowry shells come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.
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Cowry shells played an important role in many African societies where they were used as a source of currency, where paintings of the shells were found on cave walls. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo it was popular to use cowry shells in beadwork. The white colour of the shells were an indicator of wealth although only the King was allowed to wear them in large numbers.

Millions of cowry shells have been found in the tombs of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt The Egyptians thought the shells had magical powers and they were used as currency with foreign governments. So valuable were some of the cowry shells, that some Africans preferred them as payment over gold! To make payments, cowries were either counted out individually or strung together, often in groups of forth.

Archaeologists believe that the popularity of cowry shells began in the islands of the Indian Ocean. From their they made their way throughout ancient Africa and into China. The ancient Chinese even created brass and silver cowry shells for currency.

The Chinese believed that cowry shells were a source of status. When an emperor died – he was buried with nine cowry shells stuffed in his mouth. Lesser officials had lesser numbers of shells put in their mouths while common people had only rice.

Cowry shells were believed to have medicinal purposes. Women of ancient Pompeii would wear the shells to prevent sterility. But it was not just cowry shells which were believed to have healing properties.

The oyster was believed to be an aphrodisiac.
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The Cockle Clam was thought to be good for the heart, likely because it was shaped like one. Perhaps the creature eaten most often by the ancients was the oyster – because our ancestors, like many people today – believe it to be a sexual stimulant. To cure digestive complaints, pearls were ground up and mixed with herbs.

Other mollusk shells proved to have other important uses such as providing a dye for cloth. In the 16th century, natives of Central America discovered that crushing the shells of Purpura Patula snail would produce a purple dye which they used to dye cloth. The dye became so popular that it was exported to Spain.

The Spiny Dye Murex mollusk provided a beautiful purple dye.
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Another beautiful purple dye, called Tyrian Purple could be produced from the Spiny dye Murex, a kind of mollusk. Antony and Cleopatra used this dye to color their sails when they went to the battle of Actium. Use of this particular shell dates back over 3500 years earlier to the island of Crete.

In ancient Rome, Tyrian purple was held in even higher esteem. Only the emperor Nero could wear cloth dyed with that colour. Violators were sentenced to a painful death!

Although this dye was very long-lasting (some Egyptian mummy wrappings in museums today still show traces of this purple dye), the problem was that it was very expensive. To dye twenty five pounds of cloth – it took one hundred fifty pounds of dye solution!

Golden coloured threads from the Noble Pen Shell were highly prized for use in fabric and crafts.
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Another mollusk, called the Noble Pen shell contained two foot long silky threads with a deep gold colouring. Their purpose was to anchor the shell to the sea bottom but they became very valuable to the wealthy. These threads were used to create crafts and items such as gloves and scarfs.

We have talked about the uses that humans have found for seashells, but let's not forget the original purpose that nature intended – a home for the creature inside. How do these amazing animals create their mobile homes?

Mollusks' blood is very rich in liquid calcium and the animals have the ability to separate the calcium out of the blood and form calcium carbonate crystals. They deposit the crystals in layers, creating colours by the pigments found in their food. Because they can depostit the crystals in various locations and concentrations, they are able to create the spines and grooves we see on shells.

The Tiger Shell provides a safe haven for its' inhabitant.
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The actual shape of the shell is heavily influenced by the type of environment the animal lives in. Strong currents tend to cause a shell to be lower and broader. Deeper water will cause the shells to be more spherical. Places with low calcium content tend to produce thinner shells. Coiled shells tend to be produced by animals who live on hard surfaces and so must retreat into their shell for protection.

Scallops are a favorite cuisine all over the world.
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We no longer use shells as currency and yet they still play a role in our lives, or rather their inhabitants do. Shellfish is a valuable income for many fisherman because we like to eat them so much. Most everyone around the world likes to eat clams, oysters, scallops or mussels. This craving too goes back far into our history. Early US colonists found that Native Americans all up and down the country's coast fished for shellfish and often this kept them alive during tough winters.

The next time you pick up a seashell, think about all the parts it has played in our lives all the way back to our ancestors.

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