Mesopotamian Sumerian Shell Currency skirt org/collection/object/Y_EA87240)

org/collection/object/Y_EA87240)

Cylinder seals were among the earliest forms of personal identification and authentication in the ancient Near East

separated by cream-white heishi beads crafted from the scarce conch shell—a material rarely used in Pueblo jewelry

elevating it beyond simple utilitarian objects to works of art

fashioned from the antler of a red deer

Mesopotamian Sumerian Shell Currency skirt org/collection/object/Y_EA87240)The Sumerian civilization, c. 35003000 BC, Southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) Magnificent and historically significant group of three ancient shell currency rings, among the earliest known forms of true money. These circular rings were cut from cone shaped marine shells, carefully shaped and polished, and used as a medium of exchange during the formative period of Sumerian civilization. Examples of this type have been discovered at archaeological