Ilaria Rosella Pagliaro Two Israeli archaeologists have discovered that 12,000-year-old perforated stones used to spin fibers could represent the first example of rotary technology in human history, predating the principle of the wheel.
A study by Talia Yashuv and Leore Grosman, archaeologists with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Laboratory of Archaeology, is based on wide research into perforated stones found in the Nahal Ein-Gev II site in northern Israel. According to a study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, such tools-identified as Natufian spindle whorls-were used to spin textile fibers. This is the earliest recorded evidence of a fast-spinning technology, and one which shares its rotational principle with the wheel. A discovery which again raises one important question: was the wheel perhaps invented much earlier than is currently believed?
12,000-year-old stones: characteristics and historical context
The archaeological site of Nahal Ein-Gev II is located within the Jordan Valley, approximately 1.25 miles eastward from the Sea of Galilee. In total, researchers discovered 113 perforated stones that were grouped into three categories: 48 complete, 36 partially broken through, and 29 in various states of unfinished creation bearing one or two initial incisions. The investigations so far conducted at this site prove local production by the Natufian community residing there.
These range to circa 12,000 years and are predominantly in soft limestone, although basalt does occur. About 60% are circular or symmetrical in profile; the remainder is more subcircular and asymmetrical. Workmanship, along with the large number of unfinished whorls, implies that the Natufians were accomplished craftsmen using techniques advanced for their period.
3D studies of spindle whorls
©PLOS ONE
Yashuv and Grosman used a novel approach when investigating the stones, utilizing three-dimensional models. They were able to obtain high-resolution digital replicas by using a structured-light scanner and examine in-depth the details of the perforations and structural features.
Evidence gleaned from these tools confirmed that indeed such tools were utilised for the spinning of fibres, in particular flax, a verification from practical trials with stone replica tools. In this regard, the archaeologists pointed out that “.talking about the relation between past and present: modern technologies enable us to analyze the ingenuity of the prehistoric craftsman, a new insight on the innovations marking human history”.
Spindle whorls and wheels: an unexpected link?
The Natufian spindle whorls may be the earliest evidence of rotational technology. In this sense, Leore Grosman even described these perforated stones as the first “wheels” in history, at least in the context of mechanical rotation.
The characteristics of the spindle whorls reflect the very basic uses of the wheel, millennia before its use in more sophisticated forms, such as carts. As the archaeologists said:
These tools reveal an intrinsic rotational potential, a property of the wheel, really, that opened the door to a succession of inventions which radically altered humanity’s relation to technology.
Source: PLOS ONE
