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Description: | A corroded, broadly circular cast lead spindle whorl. The whorl is discoidal in form with a flat base and top and with a bevelled upper surface. It is fairly crudely cast and, though it features scratches and removals, is seemingly undecorated. The artefact has a spindle hole with a diameter of 7.5mm. The spindle whorl is 7.3mm in thickness and weighs 32.0g. 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 can be suggested, therefore, that this artefact was used in the spinning of wool. The dating of unstratified spindle whorls is very difficult, although Egan (1998, 256) notes that spindle whorls were more highly decorated during the Roman and Saxon periods compared to the medieval period.
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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