Originating in the sea, especially in the waters surrounding the low-lying islands of the Maldives, Cypraea moneta (sometimes confused with Cypraea annulus) was transported to various parts of Afro-Eurasia in the prehistoric era, and in many cases, it was gradually transformed into a form of money in various societies for a long span of time. During this Quantitative History Webinar, Bin Yang of City University of Hong Kong provides a global examination of cowrie money within and beyond Afro-Eurasia from the archaeological period to the early twentieth century. By focusing on cowrie money in Indian, Chinese, Southeast Asian and West African societies and shell money in Pacific and North American societies, his talk will synthesize and illustrate the economic and cultural connections, networks and interactions over a longue durée and in a cross-regional context. Analysing locally varied experiences of cowrie money from a global perspective, Bin Yang argues that cowrie money was the first global money that shaped Afro-Eurasian societies both individually and collectively, and thus made a significant contribution to the making of the modern world.

Discussant: Zhiwu Chen, Chair Professor of Finance, HKU Business School