Portable Spectrometry Characterization of Etruscan Weaving Tools: Exploring Women's Roles, Migration, and Ceramic Production

Portable spectroscopy was applied to spindle whorls, a type of textile production tool, to better understand women's roles within Etruria. Textile implements provide a multi-dimensional entrée into Etruscan culture given their functional as well as votive roles, their potential for transport among communities, and their range of distinguishing features such as inscriptions. The significant textile industry at Poggio Civitate (Tuscany, Italy) is evidenced by the extensive number of weaving and spinning tools recovered at the site including the 500+ spindle whorls analyzed in this study.
Ceramic objects such as spindle whorls have unique chemical fingerprints from both the raw materials from which they are formed and the recipe/process used to create them. The unique chemical characteristics of each artifact provide an avenue for comparison with other objects and for the potential for grouping objects by composition similarity. More specifically, different Etruscan communities each had their own ceramic workshops and used local clays, so differences in chemical characteristics among ceramics likely indicates production at different workshops.
Data were collected using two portable instruments: a visible spectrophotometer for color data; and an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for elemental composition. Data were collected at three locations on each spindle whorl using each technique. Munsell color, weight, dimensions, and excavation geo-location for each object were previously recorded. Geospatial data provides information about the social status of an object's owner as well as differentiation between utilitarian and votive purposes. Spectrophotometer data were compared to the Munsell assignments to evaluate agreement among color systems. Color and composition groupings were explored through multivariate data analysis and then coupled with geospatial data to provide information about differences in migration of women of different social classes.