Why are some discoid loom weights grooved? Answers from experimental archaeology on the functionality of weaving tools in the Bronze Age Aegean
Why are some discoid loom weights grooved? Answers from experimental archaeology on the functionality of weaving tools in the Bronze Age Aegean

Author(s): Agata Ulanowska
Subject(s): Archaeology, Ancient World
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: textile tools; weaving technology; discoid loom weights; Bronze Age Greece; experimental archaeology
Summary/Abstract: This paper re-examines discoid loom weights, a specific type thatoriginated in Early Bronze Age Crete and was widespread in theBronze Age Mediterranean. The growing popularity of these tools, asattested by the archaeological record, is discussed in relation to theirgeneral functionality and specific weaving techniques that may havecome with them. The functional parameters of discoid loom weights,i.e., weight and thickness, implying the types of fabrics that may havebeen produced with their use, are analyzed together with use-wearmarks on the tools, which demonstrate how the loom weights wereattached to warp threads. The grooves on the upper edges of someof these tools are discussed as a post-production feature on the basisof experimental modelling. The presented results are the effect ofarchaeological experiments and tests undertaken by the author withstudents of archaeology from the University of Warsaw and weaversfrom the Biskupin Archaeological Museum.

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