In the Middle Benue Valley of Nigeria, archaeologists have unearthed a cache of thousands of polished cowrie shells housed within a series of zoomorphic ritual jars. These deposits, dating back to 1000 BCE, are located at the center of a communal plaza, suggesting the site was used for periodic wealth-blessing festivals where community members would offer shells to ensure economic prosperity for the coming season.
The scale of the cache suggests a highly organized ritual economy. Researchers argue that these findings push back the documented use of cowries in West African spiritual practices by centuries, indicating that the 'Prosperity Festivals' common in later West African kingdoms had their roots in much earlier, complex Iron Age societies that valued maritime trade and spiritual capital.