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

org/collection/object/Y_EA87240)

sealed with a wooden lid

elevating it beyond simple utilitarian objects to works of art

This exquisite wheel-made pottery wine jug

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