Glossary · Term · currency
Cowrie shell
The cowrie shell is the shell of a small sea snail, used as currency across Africa and Asia. Cowries imported from the Indian Ocean became a standard currency in West Africa. In the Oyo Empire they facilitated market exchange across long distances, and Dahomey's tribute to Oyo included cowrie shells.
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Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cowrie shell. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cowrie-shell
- MLA
- “Cowrie shell.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cowrie-shell. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Cowrie shell.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cowrie-shell.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cowrie shell’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cowrie-shell (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻