Spindle Whorl

4000 BC - 3100 BC
Clay
Uruk (area of)
1.75 cm x 3.75 cm diam.
A34606

Oriental Institute Museum

Spindle Whorl

Textiles were one of ancient Mesopotamia's main exports. Specialized textile production centers were set up, often employing women and orphaned children to spin wool fiber from the fleece of sheep and then weave it into cloth. While few textiles themselves have survived, there is a wealth of archaeological evidence for textile production, including loom weights and spindle whorls such as the one featured here.

Collected by

Adams-Nissen Warka Survey
Alloted (by the Iraqi Department of Antiquities) 1967



Suggested Readings

Hodges, Henry. Technology in the Ancient World. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992.

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.