• Discoid loomweight with suspension hole



Discoid loomweight with suspension hole
Discoid loomweight with suspension hole

Discoid loomweight with suspension hole

Π28289
Clay
Intact, chipped
Diameter: 10 cm. Diameter of hole: 1.8 cm.
Tylissos
Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period:
1700-1450 BC:
Gallery:
VI
Case:
Case 55
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Private and public life. Bread and circuses
Home handicrafts. Crafts (Weaving)
Description
Loomweights were used to stretch the warp threads on the upright looms which were widely used for textile production in Minoan Crete. Loomweights come in various shapes: discoid, spherical with or without grooves, and rectangular or cuboid, often stamped. Discoid weights, with one or two suspension holes, are a particularly popular type in Neopalatial Crete. The number of loomweights found in a place is very important, as it allows us to calculate roughly how many looms were in use there, while their weight is a reliable indicator of the type of cloth produced.
Bibliography:
In Hazzidakis's publication (Hazzidakis, J. Les villas minoennes de Tylissos. Études Crétoises III, Paris, 1934, 105, pl. ΧΧΧ) probable loomweights are shown which have been reconstructed on hafts as votive axes.
Author:
I. N.


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