Vessel in the Form of a Spondylus Shell (Primary Title)
The shell of a Spondylus, or spiny oyster, was sometimes depicted on ceramics throughout Andean prehistory. During the late pre-Hispanic Chimu period, Spondylus shells were a key component in a network of social and economic exchange that was regulated by Chimu leaders. Without a specific system of currency, prehistoric Andean cultures relied on a complex economic system of trade and gift giving to assign value to objects. The shells were imported from the Ecuadorian coast located to the north of the Chimu region and were considered exotic. Spondylus shells are found only in burial sites of the Chimu elite, an indication that the shells held an elevated and symbolic status in that society.
Pre-Columbian
On Loan from Dr. and Mrs. Everett Lyle Gage
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