Loom Weight

3D Model

Drilled piece of limestone, probably used as a loom weight for weaving of finer yarns. Found on an Iron Age/Romano-British site near Darrington, West Yorkshire and may be of that era.

Maximum dimension is 32mm.

Light penetration into the hole during photography was not great. Software has therefore extrapolated the inner surfaces of the hole. However, there is still enough evidence to suggest that the hole was made by drilling in from two sides of the limestone, rather than right through in one operation. (Zoom in through the outer surface of the stone to explore inside). The hole can therefore only accomodate a solid rod of maximum 2.4mm diameter. This would make it too small to be a spindle whorl, which had been another suggestion.