Changes in Fiber Use and Spinning Technologies on the Iranian Plateau: A comparative and diachronic study of spindle whorls ca 4500-2500 BCE

Abstract

Spindle whorls are an ubiquitous artifact, yet can often be elusive in their interpretation. Nomenclature inconsistencies make comparative studies challenging, and lack of information or detail on primary context can compromise efforts to reconstruct the organization of textile production. Given these limitations, several important technical studies of spindle whorls have recently appeared in the literature, allowing a broad comparative study to take place for the Iranian Plateau. This paper examines whorls from several sites, from Sarazm in northwestern Tajikistan to Cheshmeh Ali in north-central Iran, from the mid-fi fth to the later third millennium BCE, to fi nd broad trends in spinning technology over time and across space. Insights from ethnoarchaeological studies and from analysis of enigmatic artifacts often associated with spindle whorls in this region raise several questions, namely does a unique spinning toolkit exist ? Is there a marked change in spinning after the use of wool became widespread, and if so is this visible in corresponding changes in the form, weight and material of whorls ? Finally, what can be said about the notion of spindle whorls being a marker of identity on the Iranian Plateau ?