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A domed Ancient Roman blue glass spindle whorl. The concentric circles around the dome are made by winding the glass in a spiral around a rod. The entire whorl is covered in a beautiful silver iridescence. 

Spindle whorls were a useful accessory used in combination with the spindle; coarse wool or other fibres would have been twisted around the spindle then spun and left to drop pulling the fibres and creating yarn. The whorl would have been attached to the spindle aiding the handler to control the speed of the process. The weight of a whorl would determine the force applied while the diameter dictated the amount of twists performed during one spin. This technique for spinning dated from the Iron Age to the early post-medieval periods. Across civilisations and ages, spindle whorls have been created out of many different materials: amber, antler, ceramic, coral, bone, several different metals, wood and glass.

Measurements: 2.6 cm

Provenance: Ex S.M collection, London, circa 1970-99. 

Circa 1st - 3rd Century AD

Ancient Roman Glass Spindle Whorl

Archaeology

Reserve price

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Closing date

19 February

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Location

Spain

United Kingdom

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The Netherlands

Germany

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Italy

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Dimensions

Height

Width

Depth

Object

Ancient artwork

Ring

Ancient sculptures carvings and figurines

Ancient jewellery and beads

Pendant

Ancient tools

Relic

Ancient seals and stamps

Raw mineral

Ancient vessels

Carved mineral

Figure

Sculpture

Metaphysical stones

Ancient lanterns and oil lamps

Bracelet

Talisman

Oil lamp

Figurine

Bust

Vase

Sword

Arrow

Country of origin

Unknown

Europe

Netherlands

Asia

Switzerland

China

Hungary

Canada

Cambodia

Myanmar/Burma

Dominican Republic

Hong Kong

Nepal

Israel

Madagascar

Thailand

Egypt

Material

Terracotta

Bronze

Faience

Stone

Flint

Glass

Pottery

Silver

Ceramic

Alabaster

Gold

Marble

Schist

Bone

Steatite

Jasper

Carnelian

Wood

Iron

Stoneware

Lead

Yellow gold

Sandstone

Earthenware

Iron (cast/wrought)

Condition

Good

Excellent

Very good

Very good +

Very good condition - slightly used with small signs of wear

Good condition - used with some signs of wear

Fair

Excellent condition: barely used with minimal signs of wear

Fair condition - used with visible signs of wear

Good condition

Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes

Good condition - used with small signs of ageing

Excellent condition - barely used with minimal signs of wear

Excellent condition

Natural

Enhanced

Very good condition, slightly used with small signs of wear

Fair condition -  heavily used & with possibly minor parts missing

Very used condition, significant signs of wear and tear

Poor

Fair condition

Period

1650-1700

Cretaceous, Lower (145 - 100.5 million years)

Before 16th

Yuan-Ming Dynasty

Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.)

Northern Song (960-1127)

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Quaternary, Pleistocene (2.58 - 0.0117 million years)

1450-1500

1850-1900

Subject

Buddha

Deity

Goddess

Woman

Zeus

Heracles

Horus

Bull

Osiris

Anubis

Thoth

Hathor

Isis

Animals

Buddhist figure

Fish

Style

Ancient Roman

Ancient Egyptian

Neolithic

Ancient Greek

Medieval, Crusaders Era

Medieval

Byzantine

Viking Era

Bronze Age

Ancient Chinese

Ancient Roman, Empire

Ancient Chinese, Tang Dynasty

Mesopotamian

Paleolithic

Western Asiatic

Ancient Egypt, Late Period

Scythian

Islamic

Bactrian

Gandhara

Celtic

Ancient Chinese, Han dynasty

Late Roman/Early Byzantine

Iron Age

Archaeology

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Ancient Roman Glass Spindle Whorl

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