The Dawn of Spinning: 12,000-Year-Old Perforated Stones Hint at Textile Technology Roots
Ancient Stones as Tools of Rotation
A new discovery1 of 12,000-year-old perforated stones at the Nahal Ein Gev II site in northern Israel may represent some of the earliest spindle whorls — tools used to spin fibers into thread for textiles. These stones, excavated by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reveal early examples of rotational tools, predating the invention of the wheel by thousands of years. This finding suggests a technological link between textile production and the later development of the wheel.
“When you look back to find the first vehicle wheels 6,000 years ago, it’s not like it just came out of nowhere,” explains Talia Yashuv of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “It’s important to look at the functional evolution of how transportation and the wheel evolved.”
The study, led by Yashuv and her colleague Leore Grosman, analyzed 113 stones with drilled holes, unearthed at the Nahal Ein Gev II village near the Sea of Galilee. These perforations, drilled halfway through from each side, center the holes around the stones’ center of gravity, enabling stable spinning. Measuring between 3 and 4 centimeters in diameter, each stone weighs about 9 grams, making it unlikely to have been a fishing weight or bead. Instead, the researchers hypothesize that these perforated stones were spindle whorls, early tools used for hand-spinning yarn.
Testing the Hypothesis with Replicas
To test this hypothesis, the research team recreated similar stones using local pebbles and a flint drill, then enlisted Yonit Kristal, a traditional craftsperson, to spin flax using these replicas.
“She was really surprised that they worked, because they weren’t perfectly round,” says Yashuv. “But really you just need the perforation to be located at the center of mass, and then it’s balanced and it works.”
This experiment demonstrated that, despite being irregularly shaped, the ancient stones could have been used as functional spindle whorls. Their balanced design around the center of mass enabled effective spinning.
Implications for Early Technology and the Invention of the Wheel
If confirmed as spindle whorls, these ancient stones would represent the oldest known instances of this technology. Although some archaeological studies propose that spindle whorls made of bone or antler existed around 20,000 years ago, they were likely decorative rather than functional for spinning.
The discovery of spindle whorls at Nahal Ein Gev II suggests that the early development of rotational tools for textile production may have been a foundational step toward future technologies like the pottery wheel and the wheel used in transportation.
“The finding suggests that people were experimenting with rotation technology thousands of years before inventing the pottery wheel and the cart wheel about 5,500 years ago,” says Yashuv. “Whorls probably helped lead to those inventions.”
A Different View: Expert Skepticism
Not all researchers are convinced. Carole Cheval of Côte d’Azur University in Nice, France, notes that whorls function differently from wheels, more akin to a spinning top. She also calls for microscopic wear analysis to confirm whether these stones truly served as whorls, as traces of yarn would leave distinctive marks on the stones over time. However, this type of analysis is beyond the scope of the current study.
Cheval also emphasizes the importance of direct experience in hand-spinning when interpreting such artifacts.
“Ideally, researchers studying ancient whorls would be skilled in spinning themselves,” Cheval states. “It really changes the way you think about your archaeological finds.”
Despite differing opinions, the discovery highlights an exciting potential for reevaluating the origins of rotational technology. If early whorls like these did indeed precede the invention of the wheel, they offer a glimpse into the adaptability and ingenuity of ancient human societies as they developed new ways of crafting textiles and perhaps laid the groundwork for future technological advancements.
Yashuv, T., & Grosman, L. (2024). 12,000-year-old spindle whorls and the innovation of wheeled rotational technologies. PloS One, 19(11), e0312007. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312007