Maresha Subterranean Complexx 169, Seasons 2000-2016, Final Report, 2 volumes. Stern, I. (ed.). Annual of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology Vol. XII. Jerusalem: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. , 2019
In the course of the excavations at Maresha Subterranean Complex 169, 112 loomweights (Table 1) a... more In the course of the excavations at Maresha Subterranean Complex 169, 112 loomweights (Table 1) and 29 whorls (Table 2) were found. The chronological mixture of the finds ranges from the Iron Age II to the late second century BCE. Most of the specimens are dated to the Hellenistic period; some (29 whorls and 33 loomweights) are dated to the Persian period, and three are dated to the Iron Age. The connection between textile production and sanctuaries, while remote, may be relevant as many of the finds in SC169 are cultic in nature and the cave complex is near a temple. Small loomweights can be identified as miniature votives (Landenius Enegren 2014: 141, 143). Another possiblity is that they could be attributted to sanctuary production (Gleba 2008: 178; Meyers 2013: 248–249). The discovery of large numbers of loomweights at sacred sites can be attributed to sacred weaving for a diety or festival as well as possibly for garments of priests or priestesses. This activity of weaving garments for dieties is mentioned by Pausanias vis a vis the production of cloth elsewhere in Greece. Evidence of such sanctuary weaving of the peplos for Athena took place at the Acropolis in Athens (Sofroniew 2011: 3–4). Another example is in the sanctuary of Hera near the
Sela river where weaving was performed (Ferrara and Meo 2017). The use of loomweights as votives is also clear. Franca Ferrandini Troisi points out that we have literary evidence describing the dedication by women of household objects including wool combs, shuttles, baskets and thread alongside spindle whorls and “loomweights” suggesting that the choice of loom weights as offerings is more a statement about the women themselves than their connection to a particular deity (Sofroniew 2011: 16). In other words, loomweights may symbolize a feminine parallel to male votives of soldiers, craftsmen and/or their tools of trade. Similar motifs are evident in some of the Maresha figurines like the kourotrophos depicting a mother carrying a child.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Sela river where weaving was performed (Ferrara and Meo 2017). The use of loomweights as votives is also clear. Franca Ferrandini Troisi points out that we have literary evidence describing the dedication by women of household objects including wool combs, shuttles, baskets and thread alongside spindle whorls and “loomweights” suggesting that the choice of loom weights as offerings is more a statement about the women themselves than their connection to a particular deity (Sofroniew 2011: 16). In other words, loomweights may symbolize a feminine parallel to male votives of soldiers, craftsmen and/or their tools of trade. Similar motifs are evident in some of the Maresha figurines like the kourotrophos depicting a mother carrying a child.
Sela river where weaving was performed (Ferrara and Meo 2017). The use of loomweights as votives is also clear. Franca Ferrandini Troisi points out that we have literary evidence describing the dedication by women of household objects including wool combs, shuttles, baskets and thread alongside spindle whorls and “loomweights” suggesting that the choice of loom weights as offerings is more a statement about the women themselves than their connection to a particular deity (Sofroniew 2011: 16). In other words, loomweights may symbolize a feminine parallel to male votives of soldiers, craftsmen and/or their tools of trade. Similar motifs are evident in some of the Maresha figurines like the kourotrophos depicting a mother carrying a child.