Origin: Egypt
Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC
Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) wide
Collection: Egyptian
Style: New Kingdom
Medium: Faience
Throughout history, in almost every ancient culture, the spindle whorl has been a common domestic object. Elegant and abstract, these little objects were used to weight wool while it was being spun into thread. Known to most every civilization, these charming weights were often buried as a grave gift with their owners. Though their shape tended to remain uniform, spindle whorls can be found in a variety of materials including stone, bronze, gold, glass and bone. In the classical world, even the most respectable women carded and spun wool; it was considered the duty of a good matron. Spindle whorls are still used today in parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. We can imagine this whorl dancing through the fingers of a beautiful Egyptian woman as she laughed and gossiped with her friends. From such an artifact, handled on a daily basis by an ancient life, we are place in intimate touch with a vanished age. - (GF.0304)

Antiquities
Ancient Egyptian