12,000-year-old donut-shaped pebbles discovered that could be precursors to the wheel

Scientists speculate that the pebbles were used for early textile production, specifically for spinning linen.

Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a remarkable find that may represent one of the earliest uses of wheel-like technology: about 100 donut-shaped pebbles, estimated to be about 12 thousand years old, that were probably used as spindle whorls.

These findings, detailed in a published in PLOS Onesuggest that early humans may have used these pebbles to spin linen and wooloffering an insight into prehistoric rotary tools and the origins of wheel technology.

These small limestone pebbles, each weighing between 1 gram and 34 grams, were excavated from a site known as Nahal Ein Gev II, situated near the Sea of ​​Galilee in northern Israel. This area dates back to a time before large-scale agriculture in the region, providing a unique window into early human innovations.

According to Talia Yashuv, a graduate student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and co-author of the study, the pebbles have the shape and function of a primitive wheel: a circular object with a central hole attached to a rotating axis.

The use of spindle whorls as rotating tools is important because it may have laid the foundation for later wheel-based technologies, such as the potter’s wheel and wagon wheel, which played key roles in early civilization, explains the.

Yashuv, along with study co-author Leore Grosman, professor of archaeology, analyzed the pebbles using advanced 3D scanning technology. This approach allowed researchers create detailed virtual modelsallowing them to examine the shape, size and placement of holes with precision unattainable with the naked eye.

Researchers tested several possible uses for the pebbles, excluding their function as beads or fishing weights. The beads are typically lighter and more intricately carved, while fishing weights from this era, if they exist, would likely be larger and made of heavier materials.

The team’s hypothesis that these stones were spindle whorls was further supported by experiments carried out with replicas of the pebbles. Yonit Crystal, an expert in traditional crafts, used these replicas to spin linen and woolhaving found that linen was easier to spin, which suggests a connection to primitive textile production.

Outside experts largely supported the study’s conclusions. Alex Joffe, an archaeologist specializing in prehistoric artifacts, noted that evidence strongly suggests that the pebbles were used to spin flax, possibly to make items such as fishing bags and lines.