A spindle whorl is a weighted disk or spherical object fitted to the bottom of a spindle to help maintain its speed of rotation while spinning fiber into yarn. The spinner spins the weighted spindle, drawing off a mass of fiber that twists into thread.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)The oldest known spindle whorls, perforated stone pebbles from the Natufian site of Nahal Ein Gev II in Israel, are about 12,000 years old. 1 OriginSpindle whorls have historically been made from amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, metal and wood, as well as locally available stone such as chalk, limestone, sandstone and slate. 1 Connections
Works Material
Source Spindle Whorl (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Era Of Origin
Also in History Atlas: the era this subject comes from.
Source Spindle Whorl (Wikipedia)Historytier 2Quote, History
Natufian artifacts unearthed in Israel at Nahal Ein Gev II, an archeological site, are believed to be the oldest spindle whorls found to date.
Sources
1. Spindle Whorl (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, sentence 3
Archaeologists say the perforated pebbles found scattered at the village site are 12,000 years old.
History section, sentence 2
Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead alloy), and wood (oak).
Lead paragraph, sentence 1
A spindle whorl is a weighted object fitted to a spindle to help maintain the spindle's speed of rotation while spinning yarn.
Works Material: Yarn, Lead section
A spindle whorl is a weighted object fitted to a spindle to help maintain the spindle's speed of rotation while spinning yarn.
In Group: Spindles and Spinning Wheels, Lead section
A spindle whorl is a weighted object fitted to a spindle to help maintain the spindle's speed of rotation while spinning yarn.
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