Spindle Whorl
Not on view
Spindle whorls aided in the making of thread by maintaining the momentum of the spindle. This semi-spherical, flat bottomed spindle whorl was excavated at Nishapur. It is decorated with an incised cluster of three dot-in-circles, as well as two semi-circles with dots on either side of zigzag lines. The base is encircled by three incised lines. Hundreds of spindle whorls were excavated at Nishapur, providing further evidence that the city possessed a thriving textile industry. Their incised designs exhibit a wide variety of motifs ranging from geometric forms to zoomorphic figures.
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