Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Proceedings of the 5th International
Congress on the Archaeology of
the Ancient Near East
Madrid, April 3-8 2006
Edited by
Joaquín Mª Córdoba, Miquel Molist, Mª Carmen Pérez,
Isabel Rubio, Sergio Martínez
(Editores)
Madrid, 3 a 8 de abril de 2006
Actas del V Congreso Internacional
de Arqueología del Oriente Próximo Antiguo
VOL. II
Centro Superior de Estudios sobre el Oriente Próximo y Egipto
Madrid 2008
Pierced clay disks and Late Neolithic textile production
Kevin T. Gibbs, Toronto
Abstract
Pierced clay disks, fashioned from potsherds, are often found on Late Neolithic sites in the Near
East. Several suggestions have been offered to explain the occurrence of these objects but the
most common suggestion is that they were used as spindle whorls for spinning yarn or thread
for textile production. A collection of pierced disks from the Late Neolithic site of Tabaqat alBûma in Wadi Ziqlab, Jordan, was examined to determine the production sequence of these
objects and to assess their suitability for use as spindle whorls. Replicas of a number of the disks
were affixed to wooden spindles and used to spin several types of fibres, including flax and animal hair. The results of the analysis and experimental testing suggest that the pierced disks could
have been expedient spindle whorls.
Keywords: spindle whorls, Late Neolithic, Wadi Ziqlab, production sequence.
Introduction
Fired-clay disks with holes through their centres are often found on sites in the
southern Levant that date to the Late Neolithic period (approximately 7500-6000
BP). An early suggestion was that these pierced disks were used as spindle whorls
(e.g. Kaplan 1969; Wheeler 1982). To test this hypothesis a small assemblage of
pierced disks from Tabaqat al-Bûma, a Late Neolithic site in Wadi Ziqlab, northern Jordan, was analyzed and replicated (figure 1).
The Wadi Ziqlab Disks
Wadi Ziqlab is one of several tributaries of the Jordan River that drain the
western part of the Irbid Plateau in north-western Jordan. The Wadi Ziqlab Project, under the direction of Professor E.B. Banning of the University of Toronto,
has discovered a number of Late Neolithic sites in the wadi, including Tabaqat alBûma (WZ200), which was likely a small farmstead (Banning and Siggers 1997).
Excavations at the site recovered several pierced ceramic disks. Ten of these
were available for study, as was one from another nearby Late Neolithic site
(WZ310). Eight of the examined disks are complete or near complete. Of the 11
observed disks, 10 are round to oval in shape while the remaining one is more
angular. The mass of the disks (excluding the incomplete examples) ranges from
7.3g to 21.2g (mean=13.4g; figure 2) while the thickness ranges from 6mm to
17mm (mean=10.0mm). The maximum diameter (taken across the perforation)
ranges from 30 to 54mm (mean=39.5mm). The colour of the disks is typical of
other sherds from the site, ranging from pink to reddish yellow to very pale brown.
None of the disks are decorated, although decorated pottery of any sort is rare
from Late Neolithic sites in Wadi Ziqlab.
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Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
The production sequence
Macroscopic observation of the disks, combined with subsequent replication
experiments, shed some light on their production sequence.
First, the Tabaqat al-Bûma disks were fashioned from potsherds. While the
disks’ fabrics are varied, they all fit within the range of fabrics of ceramic vessels
at the site. Moreover, some of the disks show a slight concavity, resulting from the
contour of the pot from which they were recycled.
Second, although no evidence of the shaping technique was observable on the edge
of the disks, the rough shape of a disk could easily be attained through chopping and
scraping with flint tools, like ones commonly found on Late Neolithic sites (figure 3a).
Third, the common hourglass-shaped perforation was the result of drilling from
both sides. This could be achieved with a simple flint drill, or even a small unretouched
flake held between the thumb and finger (figure 3b). One disk had obvious striations on
the interior of the hole, likely the result of using a sharp flint implement on a fired sherd.
Fourth, small chips around the holes of two disks could be the result of
drilling with a back-and-forth motion (alternating clockwise-counter clockwise)
without attaining a complete rotation with each alternation (figure 4). This can
result in small, remnant points jutting into the hole in one or two places which,
when finally removed with a complete rotation, take a piece of the surface as well.
The reason for the incomplete rotation likely reflects the limited range of movement of the human wrist (Gwinnett and Gorelick 1981).
Fifth, concentric striations on the surface of one disk could have resulted from
the driller’s thumb nail coming into contact with the disk while holding a drill
between the finger and thumb (figure 5). This is further evidence that the disks
could be pierced with a small unhafted tool.
Sixth, the shaping and drilling of a pierced disk could be completed in less
than two minutes with simple, unhafted flake tools.
Are pierced disks spindle whorls?
The suggestion that Late Neolithic pierced disks are spindle whorls is a plausible one as whorls made from sherds have been observed in ethnographic contexts (e.g. Crowfoot 1931). However, other possible functions have been proposed (Verhoeven 1999:238-239). These include their use as gaming pieces
(Erikh-Rose and Garfinkel 2002), accounting tokens (Schmandt-Besserat 1992),
markers of identity (Tsuneki 1998), pendants or ornaments (Liu 1978), jar stoppers (Mallowan and Rose 1935; Garfinkel 1992), or as flywheels for pump-drills
or children’s spinning-tops. Future research should aim to address these alternate
hypotheses.
Spinning in the Late Neolithic
Hand spinning involves drafting or drawing out fibres from a mass and twisting them into a stable yarn or thread. The use of a spindle increases the speed of
spinning and provides a convenient place to wind the thread to keep it from
untwisting. Drop spindle spinning requires the spindle to rotate freely on the end
Pierced clay disks and Late Neolithic textile production
91
of the thread being spun. The whorl’s role in the process is to act as a flywheel,
stabilizing the spindle and maintaining its rotation.
Unfortunately, direct evidence for spinning technology, in the form of preserved fibres, has not been recovered from Late Neolithic sites in the southern
Levant. However, rare textile specimens from the earlier Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
and the following Chalcolithic reveal what Late Neolithic textiles might have
looked like (Schick 1988, 1998). Flax was the most probable source of fibre,
although human, goat, or dog hair could also have been used (Barber 1991).
Implements used in the spinning process, including whorls, may provide crucial
evidence for spinning in the Late Neolithic. Published accounts of spindle whorls
observed in ethnographic contexts suggest certain characteristics are desirable in a
whorl (Liu 1978). As utilitarian objects, whorls are often undecorated. They are frequently circular although other symmetrical shapes also occur. Whorl size varies with
the fibre being spun, with flax benefiting from a heavy whorl of 140 grams or more
(Barber 1991). Hole size is generally 7mm or more to accommodate a spindle, and the
hole’s shape is usually tapered or straight to fit snugly on the spindle.
The disks from Tabaqat al-Bûma fit some of these criteria, but not others.
While they are undecorated and roughly circular, some are not particularly symmetrical, too light to optimally spin flax, and most have hourglass shaped holes
that would seem not to fit well on a spindle.
Experimental Use
To further assess the disks’ suitability for use as spindle whorls, a number of them
were replicated and mounted on wood spindles and used to spin a variety of fibres,
including flax, mohair, wool, and dog hair. After a very short time even a novice spinner was able to produce lengths of yarn of each kind of fibre. Even the most asymmetrical «whorls» could be used. The low mass of the whorls was not a critical impediment even when spinning flax. Likewise, the hourglass-shaped holes did not create a
critical problem as the spun fibre could be wrapped around the whorl in the manner
commonly used with low-whorl drop spindles, keeping the whorl in place.
Conclusions
This preliminary research suggests that Late Neolithic pierced disks could be
quickly formed from a potsherd using simple, unhafted flint tools. Replication and
experimentation demonstrates that, even though the pierced disks from Tabaqat
al-Bûma may not be optimally suited for use as spindle whorls, the possibility cannot be ruled out. In fact, as expedient tools, the disks suit hand spinning, which
can be an intermittent task, picked up and carried out during episodes of free time
between other jobs (Barber 1991).
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank E.B. Banning, Heather Miller, Lisa Maher, and the Toronto
Guild of Weavers and Spinners for their assistance in making this research possible.
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Fig. 1: Late Neolithic pierced disks from Wadi Ziqlab.
Fig. 2: Scatterplot of mass and diameter of the seven most complete disks.
Pierced clay disks and Late Neolithic textile production
Fig. 3: Using simple flint tools to shape the edge of a replicated disk (a)
and drill a hole (b).
Fig. 4: Chips around the hole of a Late Neolithic disk (a) and a replicated
disk (b).
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Fig. 5: Striations on the surface of a Late Neolithic disk (a) and a replicated
disk (b).