Cornaa spindle whorl

Date made: Prehistoric: 8000-0 BC

Description: This small holed stone is evidence of prehistoric wool-working and cloth production. It was found at Cornaa and is a spindle whorl.

Stones like this were used to turn raw wool into thread. The wool would be attached to a wooden stick, or spindle, and the end of the spindle was inserted into the hole in the stone, or whorl. By letting the stone weight the spindle down while it was spun round, the wool fibres came together to form a thread that could then be woven to make cloth.

This very simple and cheap method of creating thread came from a time long before spinning wheels were in use. Because of its simplicity, this technology was available to everyone in society, not just the elite.

Object name: spindle whorl

Collection: Archaeology Collection

ID number: 1954-1126c

Comments