Schelpen in de geschiedenis en kunst van Egypte en de Soedan

Shells are among the most ancient objects retrieved from Egyptian and Sudanese soil. Shellfish from the Nile and the inland lakes were at first collected for food, but soon also used for the manufacture of beads and bracelets and finely even turned into spoons and other artefacts. By 500 BC large numbers of shells were already imported from the Red Sea coasts over distances of several hundreds of kilometers.