Producer unknown to us
Sea Shell
Asia, Yemen, Socotra Archipelago
Mid-20th century
Shell
Lothar Stein (former museum director) acquired this shell in the 1980s during one of his trips to Yemen
Circumstances and date of acquisition are still under examination by the museum
P 1808
Such sea shells were popular trade items among Arab nomadic communities for a long time.
Lothar Stein (*1935) began working at the Leipzig museum in 1960 and served as its director from 1980 to 2001. His professional expertise was in the communities of the Middle East and North Africa. He was also part of a research focus group on pastoral nomadism in the deserts between West Africa and Central Asia. Since the late 1950s, Stein has made numerous research trips to the Arab region and North Africa and has been involved in building museums there.
Frank Usbeck