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Description: | A lead alloy spindle whorl which has a diameter of 30.8mm and is 11.7mm thick. It is biconvex with a central circular hole and one face is decorated with radial lines with pellets between them, all executed in relief. The other face does not have clear decoration but it is not certain whether it is an extremely worn decorated face, a very badly cast decorated face or an uneven undecorated face. Decorated spindle whorls are very rare finds in excavations, but are often found by metal detectorists. They are usually biconical and are decorated on both faces with raised dots and radiating or zig-zag ribs. They have been found in plough soil over the site of Roman buildings, and in an excavated context dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century at an Austin Friary (Geake, 2001). It is thus very difficult to date decorated whorls, and it seems that they could have been in use at any time between the Roman and Late Medieval periods. A Medieval date is most likely. This example weighs 50.7g. It has a creamy white patina.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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