In archaeology, small tooth-like objects or shells used as decorative elements or currency in ancient and Indigenous cultures.
From Latin bi- (two) and dentalia, plural of dentale (tooth-like), named for their resemblance to teeth. Dentalia are a type of shell, and bidentalia were especially valued among Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples.
Bidentalia shells were so prized as wealth in Indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest that they drove entire trading networks and diplomatic relationships—ancient economists literally used shells as money before coins were invented.
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