Short note on the functional relationship of clay spools and clay weights of pyramidal and conical shape with the fire in archaeology

Abstract

Spool-shaped objects and weights made of clay were unearthed on many sites all over Europe and Mediterranean, being discovered in settlements, graves and sanctuaries or recorded as passim during surveys undertaken in less excavated areas. Not only in the pioneering age of archaeology but also recently, these classes of artefacts arose serious problems of interpretation. The present paper investigates some hypothesis regarding the function of clay spools and clay weights of pyramidal and conical shape, associated by some archaeologists with the craft of making pottery or with cooking and fireplaces. These hypotheses will be discussed in the context of the recent progress made in the field of archaeological textiles, taking into account the complex methodology of research of clay implements which was refined in the last decades based on extensive archaeological research, including archaeological experiments. This contribution aims to clarify some confusions regarding the function of clay spools and clay weights, by confronting the old interpretations, often ungrounded, with the current state of research, proving that the functional parameters of an implement together with the excavation context and with the information brought by iconographic representations are definitory in accurately establishing the function of these puzzling classes of artefacts.