This decorated spindle whorl was discovered inside a Late Bronze Age house that was excavated by Bernice Molly at Killmelly, Co. Tipperary (Molloy 2009, 67). Used to make thread, spindle whorls played an important role in textile production. They consist of a perforated disc or spherical object that was originally attached to a spindle stick. When the spindle was spun and then dropped with a wisp of wool attached the momentum of the spinning action was maintained by the whorl (Hurley 1997, p. 674). This allowed people to efficiently twist fibres such as wool and flax into yarn.
Posted on: Sat, 17 May 2014 17:04:15 +0000
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