12,000-year-old spindle whorls discovered in Israel suggest early wheel-like technology

The stones studied by the team predate the cart wheels of the Bronze Age by thousands of years, highlighting a key milestone in the development of rotational tools.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 14, 2024 09:30

Early wheel-like technology. (photo credit: Liron Naronsky, The Hebrew University in Jerusalem)

The newly discovered stone tools represent early axle-based rotation technology thousands of years before the first carts, highlighting a key milestone in the development of rotational tools, including wheels

A recent study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE suggests that a collection of perforated pebbles discovered at the Nahal Ein Gev II archaeological site in northern Israel may be the earliest known spindle whorls. Conducted by researchers Talia Yashuv and Professor Lior Grosman from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the study analyzed 113 perforated stones dating back approximately 12,000 years. These artifacts could indicate early use of rotational technologies in the region, potentially paving the way for later inventions such as the potter's wheel and the cart wheel.

Since 1972, archaeologists have uncovered 113 of these punctured artifacts at the Nahal Ein Gev II site, which may have been used for spinning threads. Spindle whorls are round, weighted objects attached to a spindle stick that stabilize and extend the rotational movement of the spindle, making the process of creating threads easier and increasing the spinning rate. The stones, mostly limestone and measuring 3 to 4 centimeters in diameter, feature a circular shape perforated by a central hole. The holes generally ran through the pebble's center of gravity, indicating a deliberate design for balance during rotation.

The research team used three-dimensional scans and advanced computational technology to analyze the morphological structures of the stones. They introduced an innovative method for studying perforated objects, based on digital 3D models of the stones and their negative holes. Using 3D scanning, dedicated software for model analysis, and practical experiments, the researchers demonstrated that the stones could have served as spindle whorls, supporting the hypothesis that they were used in early thread spinning.

Analysis revealed that the holes had been drilled halfway through from each side using a flint hand drill, which leaves a narrow and twisting cone-like shape. Drilling from both sides would have helped balance the stone for more stable spinning. "Considering all functional parameters: the central location of the perforation, the size and weight of the stones, their shape, raw material, the shape of the holes and their size, it seems that the perforated pebbles from Nahal Ein-Gev II are best suited to have functioned as spindle whorls," the study authors wrote.

To test their hypothesis, the researchers created replicas of the whorls using nearby pebbles and a flint drill. They enlisted the help of Yonit Kristal, an acknowledged expert in traditional craftmaking, to see if she could successfully spin yarn using a replica of one of the prehistoric pebbles. During initial trials with wool, the spindle whorls were difficult to use but still made the process more efficient than manual spinning. Later tests involving flax were much more successful and enabled Ms. Kristal to make faster progress. Researcher Talia Yashuv stated, "She was really surprised that they worked, because they weren't perfectly round. But really you just need the perforation to be located at the center of mass, and then it's balanced and it works."

The researchers concluded that "these elements could have served as whorls for spinning fibers," a hypothesis reinforced by the success obtained in spinning linen using replicas of the stones. These ancient whorls represent a textile technology that may have ultimately helped inspire the invention of the wheel, as they emphasize how rotational technology from the textile field contributed to its development. Spindle whorls form a device similar to the wheel and axle to help the spindle rotate faster and longer, allowing people to efficiently spin natural fibers such as wool or flax into yarn. These technologies were vital for the development of early human civilizations.

The stones studied by the team predate the cart wheels of the Bronze Age by thousands of years, highlighting a key milestone in the development of rotational tools, including wheels. Interestingly, the technology did not immediately take hold or spread. Many millennia would pass before the concept was re-adopted during the invention of the pottery wheel and cart wheel. Researcher Talia Yashuv stated, "It was really successful for the settlement of Nahal Ein-Gev II, but it's not an innovation trend that we see from that point onwards." She added, "They went back to something else, and we don't see the same tool for another 4,000 years. When it comes back, what's interesting is that it's at a site that is very close by."

However, not all researchers are convinced. Dr. Carole Cheval at Côte d'Azur University in Nice, France, is less certain that the stones are whorls. While the artifacts might very well be whorls, the study lacks microscopic data that would reveal traces of use, as yarns would have marked the stones over time. "Whorls work more like a top than a wheel," Dr. Cheval explained. "It really changes the way you think about your archaeological finds." Trace analysis was "beyond the scope" of the current study, said Yashuv. Dr. Cheval also noted that ideally, researchers studying ancient whorls would be skilled in spinning themselves, which the study authors were not.

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Despite these doubts, the study authors believe that "in a cumulative evolutionary trend, they manifest early phases of the development of rotational technologies by laying the mechanical principle of the wheel and axle." The findings reflect the processes of transition between the Epipaleolithic period and the Neolithic period, corresponding to the important transition to an agricultural lifestyle. The authors estimate that the most important aspect of the study is "how modern technology allows us to delve into the fingerprints of the prehistoric craftsman and learn something new about them and their capacity for innovation and, at the same time, about our modern technology and how we are related."

"The next evidence is 4,000 years later, ten kilometers [6.2 miles] apart," noted Yashuv. It was only after this re-emergence that the principle of a rotational axle began to spread and become incorporated into more technologies. The researchers believe that these ancient whorls represent a very early example of humans using rotation with a wheel-shaped tool, highlighting a key milestone in the development of rotary tools.

Sources: Tech Explorist, New Scientist, Phys.org, La Razn, El Peridico, IFLScience

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq