Hu (jar with handles)

The combination of geometric and naturalistic motifs adorning this vessel characterizes the last and most prolific phase of Neolithic pottery production, called the Machang phase. Ringing the waist of this vessel much like a belt, cowry shells were favored motifs of the period. Its use appears to have been more than just a decorative convention since much later Chinese bronze inscriptions state that the cowry shell was used as currency during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. And a cowry shell is even found in the modern Chinese character, bao, which means "treasure" or "precious."