That estimate doesn’t include the time it would have taken to collect the scallop-like shells from the seashore. “We think the beads formed ceremonial clothing that was worn by these women ...

The study revealing the find was published in Science Advances. Approximately 270,000 shell beads crafted from marine shells were uncovered in one of the tombs at the Montelirio complex.

The women were buried with an estimated 270,769 disc-shaped beads made of marine shells, animal bones and stone. Together, the beads weigh around 33 pounds. Previously, the largest known ...

Officials of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum made the announcement on Oct. 21 about a shell bead unearthed in a dig at the Sakitari Cave site in Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture ...

"I focused on shell beads in Western North America and Bronze Money in Europe as these are two well-documented case studies with considerable evidence for widespread trade and monetary economies ...