ÇANAKKALE, TURKEY—Loom weights made of pottery have been uncovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Assoss. “Some of them are round and some of them are cubic. People used even broken ceramic pieces in this period by making a hole in the center of them. There are seals, names, or descriptions on some of these weights. They date back to 2,500 years ago,” said Nurettin Arslan of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. The weights were found near the city’s theater, and may have come from a small weaver’s shop.
Loom Weights Discovered in Ancient Cattle Town
News January 23, 2013
Recommended Articles
Features July/August 2026
Egypt's First Queen
How a trailblazing ruler pulled her realm back from the brink
Features July/August 2026
Secrets of the Serpent
Is a Native American origin story embedded in Ohio’s colossal earthwork?
Features July/August 2026
Slinging Insults
Greek and Roman soldiers fired pointed barbs at their enemies
Features July/August 2026
Inside Africa’s Houses of Stone
Archaeologists are rethinking how kings shared power beyond the great capitals of medieval Zimbabwe
-
Features November/December 2012
Zeugma After the Flood
New excavations continue to tell the story of an ancient city at the crossroads between east and west
(Hasan Yelken/Images & Stories) -
Letter from India November/December 2012
Living Heritage at Risk
Searching for a new approach to development, tourism, and local needs at the grand medieval city of Hampi
(Gethin Chamberlain) -
Artifacts November/December 2012
Beaker Vessels
Ceramic beakers were the vessels of choice for the so-called “Black Drink” used at Cahokia by Native Americans in their purification rituals
(Linda Alexander, photographer, use with permission of the Illinois State Archaeological Society) -
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2012
The Desert and the Dead
(Courtesy Bernardo Arriaza)