The contribution of experimental archaeology in addressing the analysis of residues on spindle-whorls

This contribution focuses on residues developing on spindle-whorls during spinning. Such a kind of tools is largelydiffused in archaeological contexts where spindle-whorls were used in textile activities or deposited in burials asgrave goods. Scholars recently approached the analysis of these objects through experimental archaeology to betterunderstand their wide variation in size and shape especially in relationship with the adoption of specific spinningtechniques or the quality of the fibres processed for producing different kinds of yarn. The method presented herehighlights the contribution of controlled experiments to identify and to study the formation of organic deposits onspindle-whorls after repeated and intentional use. Moreover, this article provides a preliminary reference collectionof experimental residues combining different techniques of observation and different magnifications (Optical LightMicroscopes - OLM and Scanning Electron Microscope - SEM) on ceramic replicas to address the residuesinvestigation on textile tools in archaeological contexts. (