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Description: | A worn circular stone object, probably a spindle whorl. The stone is a very light grey fine-grained type of uncertain category. The whorl is globular in form and rectangular (with rounded corners) in section with a flat base and top. The artefact is seemingly undecorated. It measures 26.5mm in diameter with a large spindle hole with a diameter of 9.8mm. The spindle whorl is 17.5mm in thickness and weighs 13.5g. It has been pointed out that the weight of a spindle whorl is suggestive of the thickness of yarn produced, with lighter spindle whorls (3 - 5 grams) being used for spinning cotton and the heavier ones (30 - 35 grams) for spinning wool (Margeson 1993, 184). It is therefore possible (although not certain) that this example was used for spinning cotton. The dating of unstratified spindle whorls is very difficult. Egan (1998, 256) notes that spindle whorls were more highly decorated during the Roman and Saxon periods compared to the medieval period. It is therefore suggested that this object dates to the medieval period. The object features the number ‘672’, presumably been applied by the finder on its side. It has suffered particular losses on the reverse face travelling out from the spindle hole. | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Webley, Robert - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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