07-11-2019, 01:21 AM
I am a historian working on an article about enslaved people's material culture at Stagville plantation in North Carolina, where a cowrie shell was found in a slave cabin during archaeological excavations in the 1970s. I've attached two photos of the shell, one from the archaeological report of the ventral side and a more recent photo of the dorsal side. I want to identify the particular species of shell, but am having trouble considering the very large number of potential species. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!