3-047-579 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Loom weight with Spinning Owl, 3rd-2nd century BC. Additional Info: Discoid loom weight with two holes. On the front (worn), an owl with wings, feet and arms. The extra limbs allow it to hold a distaff and spin wool from a conical basket represented below the spindle. Despite the owl's association with Athens, loom weights with a spinning owl appear to be a unique characteristic of the southern Italian peninsula. The loom weight has beige clay with small red inclusions, and a gray slip.