Talia Yashuv at the excavation site of Nahal Ein Gev II
Credit: Naftali Hilger
Researchers from the Hebrew University have unearthed a groundbreaking discovery: 12,000-year-old spindle whorls, ancient tools used to spin fibers into yarn. These artifacts, recovered from the Nahal-Ein Gev II dig site in northern Israel, provide the earliest evidence of wheeled rotational technology in the Levant.
This significant find sheds light on the technological advancements of the Natufian culture during a crucial period of transition towards an agricultural lifestyle. By examining these ancient tools, scientists can gain valuable insights into the daily lives and innovative practices of our ancestors.
The study, recently published in PLOS ONE, was led by Talia Yashuv and Professor Leore Grosman from the Computational Archaeology Laboratory at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology. Introducing an innovative method for studying perforated objects, based on digital 3-D models of the stones and their negative holes, the authors describe more than a hundred of the mostly-limestone pebbles, which feature a circular shape perforated by a central hole. Due to this structure and composition, the authors deduce that the stones were likely used as spindle whorls — a hypothesis also supported by successfully spinning flax using replicas of the stones.
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Spindle whorls, small, weighted objects attached to a spinning stick, are ancient tools that revolutionized textile production. By increasing the speed and duration of the spindle’s rotation, these devices enabled efficient gathering and spinning of fibers like wool or flax into yarn.
Professor Grosman emphasizes the significance of this discovery, stating, “These Natufian perforated stones are essentially the first wheels in form and function – a round object with a central hole connected to a rotating axle, used long before the advent of the wheel for transportation.”
This early adoption of wheel-based rotational technology paved the way for future innovations, including the potter’s wheel and the cart wheel, which emerged 6,000 years later. These advancements fundamentally transformed human technological history.
The Nahal Ein Gev II site, with its permanent structures, lime-plastered burials, and diversified tools, provides a rare glimpse into the end of the Natufian culture and the transition from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural one. The new findings underscore how the technological innovations are an important driving force in the Neolithization processes. This study not only expands our understanding of technological innovation but also showcases how advanced research tools reveal insights into prehistoric craftsmanship, underscoring humanity’s enduring drive for innovation.
