Early human cultures likely used stones as spindle whorls to spin fibers into yarn.
A collection of perforated pebbles discovered at an archaeological site in Israel may be spindle whorls, marking a significant milestone in the development of rotational tools, including wheels. This finding is detailed in a study recently published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Talia Yashuv and Leore Grosman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Donut-shaped objects connected to a bar, forming a wheel and axle, are a key invention springboarding technological development and are commonly associated with Bronze Age carts.
Spindle whorls, round, weighted objects that are attached to a spindle stick, form a similar wheel-and-axle-like device to help the spindle rotate faster and longer, enabling it to efficiently gather up fibers such as wool or flax and spin them into yarn.
Discovering Prehistoric Spindle Whorls
The stones studied in the new paper, recovered from the Nahal-Ein Gev II dig site in northern Israel, date back approximately 12,000 years, during the important transition to an agricultural lifestyle and the Neolithic period, long before the cartwheels of the Bronze Age.
Early Rotational Tools and Their Legacy
This collection of spindle whorls would represent a very early example of humans using rotation with a wheel-shaped tool. They might have paved the way for later rotational technologies, such as the potter’s wheel and the cart wheel, which were vital to the development of early human civilizations.
The authors add: “The most important aspect of the study is how modern technology allows us to delve deep into touching the fingerprints of the prehistoric craftsman, then learn something new about them and their innovativeness, and at the same time, about our modern technology and how we’re linked.”
Reference: “12,000-year-old spindle whorls and the innovation of wheeled rotational technologies” by Talia Yashuv and Leore Grosman, 13 November 2024, PLOS ONE.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312007
Funding: Israel Science Foundation grants #2034/19 and #703/23 (LG), the Irene Levy Sala CARE Archaeological Foundation (LG), the Bina and Moshe Stekelis Foundation for prehistoric research in Israel (TY).
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13 Comments
Interesting
Very interesting.
Kowledge is a continuous proces needs wider range of endepth studies, take an example of porous spindles which can be seen in Ganesha stonr- metal statchu wearing three fiber made ygopawit consisting three threads of three eacch, still prepared by villagers using porous spindle weaving frpm cotton as can be seen at GARBAGE in present Afganistan, INDUS CIVILISATION is with development of human race still can be seen in Andeman ancient bare living wild life with thinking of vast treasure of knoledge present in VEDAS. Taking life in allformate of life from unicellular to multi cumplicated form haing singular life.
When I was in high school, we learned about the travels of explorers, but never knew anything about how they lived day to day. I always wanted to know what they ate, how they dressed, type of dwelling, etc. They were real people. But, all we learned was about some timeline and supposed discovery. It is good to know that we are able to start putting the puzzle together.
whoa, further confirmation of the ancient Palestinian lands.
Confirmation that people existed in this area of the world? What are you trying to assert, dear? Go on, spit it out.
Washer or nut***
Could these stones also be used as loom weights? Simple looms had a warp hanging from a horizontal bar and groups of warp threads were tied to a weight to facilitate weaving.
“Negative holes….”; now I have read it all! Pretentious and stupid academic jargon. A hole is a hole; what constitutes a positive hole?
“negative perforations…….”. Another crass phrase. A perforation means that someone has made a hole in something; it is probably a word derived from Latin, such as a word conveying the concept of carrying something through through something else. “Per” and “‘Ferro” combined perhaps: perferratum….? I would have thought that the Roman occupation of Israel might have contributed something to modern Israeli culture; as it did to the language of Ancient Britain and thus modern English; as well as to French, Spanish, and Romanian.
Those hollowed stones to me just look like balancing weights.
The oldest people on earth, the San, also known as Bushmen, as they prefer to be called, have for millennia used the same weighted design and material on top of digging sticks to help in their daily gathering routine,
Perhaps they were wheels on wooden toys, since rotted to dust, made by children…………I wonder who drilled the holes.
Or it could have been just a screw to hold things in place like today
Israeli science cannot be trusted under their current administration. This country will turn firewood into spears and freeze to death.
isn’t it interesting how the collective two academic institutions in Israel always have so much to contribute whenever their country is wrapped in murder.