Spindle whorl
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wirtel01.png/220px-Wirtel01.png)
A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin. For ages the whorls have been made of many different materials: amber, antler, bone, coral, glass, metal (iron, lead, lead alloy), and wood (oak). Some types of local materials have been also used, such as chalk, limestone, mudstone, sandstone, slate, and soapstone.
Gallery
-
Spindle Whorl (Sulsultin), Chemainus, Coast Salish (Native American), 19th century, Brooklyn Museum
-
Whorl (12th or 13th century) found in Poland
-
Ancient Greek spindle whorls, 10th century BC, Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, Athens
-
Muisca spindle whorl (500AD – 1500AD). Archaeology Museum, Sogamoso, Colombia