Archaeological explorations of the meaning of ‘trade objects’, such as glass beads and cowrie shells, remain hampered by theoretical and methodological limitations in both their analyses and interpretations. In this paper, we develop a methodology for critically engaging in multi-scalar questions of the circulation, exchange, and value of cowrie shells in African archaeological contexts. Species, size, dorsal modifications, and depositional contexts were compared across five sites from South Africa dating between 750 and 1350 CE. These results were positioned within a review of cowries from archaeological sites in the region and compared to the documented distribution of cowries from wider African archaeological contexts. Monetaria annulus were the prevalent cowrie species in southern African archaeological contexts over the last 2000 years, with a notable absence of Monetaria moneta, prevalent at contemporaneous sites in West Africa, as well as a variety of endemic southern African species. Breakage patterns on the dorsal surface correspond to different modification techniques, such as chipping and grinding. Combined analyses of modification, use-wear, and depositional patterns show variation, revealing a diversity in the biographies of individual cowries. While a comparison of the distribution of cowries across the continent confirms the circulation of cowries through known trade routes, such as the trans-Saharan trade network and the European mercantile network, they also reveal new pathways for exchange that highlight the need for further exploration of intra African networks. Finally, the breadth of the results of this study demonstrates the value of a focus on a specific artefact to address a wide range of themes, from exchange to the archaeology of everyday life.

对“贸易物品”含义的考古探索，如玻璃珠和贝壳，仍然受到其分析和解释的理论和方法限制的阻碍。在本文中，我们开发了一种方法论，用于批判性地研究非洲考古背景下贝壳的流通、交换和价值的多尺度问题。在公元 750 年到 1350 年之间南非的五个地点比较了物种、大小、背侧修饰和沉积环境。这些结果位于对该地区考古遗址的贝壳的审查中，并与来自更广泛的非洲考古背景的贝壳的记录分布进行了比较。金银花环是过去 2000 年南部非洲考古环境中流行的贝类物种，但明显没有Monetaria moneta，流行于西非的同期地点，以及各种南部非洲特有物种。背面的破损图案对应于不同的修饰技术，如削片和研磨。对修改、使用磨损和沉积模式的综合分析显示出变化，揭示了单个贝壳的传记的多样性。虽然比较整个大陆的贝壳分布证实了贝壳通过已知的贸易路线流通，例如跨撒哈拉贸易网络和欧洲商业网络，但它们也揭示了新的交换途径，强调需要进一步探索非洲内部网络。最后，这项研究结果的广度证明了关注特定人工制品以解决广泛主题的价值，