Spindle whorl

Unknown

ca. 700 BCE · Ceramic · Ancient Near Eastern Art

This ceramic spindle whorl is decorated with incised concentric circles. It was excavated at Yarim Tepe in northeastern Iran, six miles south of the modern town of Gonbad-e Kavus. Yarim Tepe was a small settlement, inhabited from the Neolithic to the Parthian period, with many interruptions. This spindle whorl likely dates to the late Iron Age, though such objects are notoriously difficult to date. Spindle whorls were used to make thread. A dowel was inserted through the hole, to which plant fibers or wool were attached. The whorl was then spun in order to twist and compress the fibers into a thread.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 700 BCE

Medium

Ceramic

Culture

Iran

Department

Ancient Near Eastern Art

Credit line

Purchase, H. Dunscombe Colt Gift, 1963