loom weight, unknown maker from Jericho

This ancient artifact was taken from an archaeological dig in Jericho (present-day West Bank, Israeli-occupied territory) by Spencer benefactor Sallie Casey Thayer. On the attached tag, she wrote, “Secured from the German excavations at Jericho 1908 by Mrs. W.B. Thayer. I picked it up myself. They had reached the lowest walls. This loom weight came from the lowest stratum.” Removing this artifact from its original context created issues in establishing a social history for the object, but there are still many clues we can gather to create an impression of the Canaanite woman who used this tool to weave textiles more than 3,600 years ago. Archaeological evidence from similar sites suggests that looms were set up in kitchens or on the second floor of houses, away from the main entrance. The woman who used this object was an expert weaver who could determine how many threads she needed to support the weight just by feeling its heft in her hand. This heavy weight worked best with a heavy yarn to weave a coarse, thick cloth. She carefully threaded her linen or wool warps over the frame of her loom and through this weight, which held the threads taut as she wove other threads through them to make textiles. She made cloth to dress her family and also for trading to help provide for her family and community. By standing in proximity to this well-used tool in the Museum, we are also close to this woman from Jericho.

Shortly following her husband’s death in 1907, Sallie Casey Thayer marked a new phase of her life as a collector. With her son, Thayer departed for an overseas trip in early 1908. Their travels included stays in Mediterranean coastal Europe, as well as Gibraltar, Tangier, and Palestine. According to her own account, she literally “picked up” this loom weight when they visited the Austro-German excavation of Jericho.

Weavers used loom weights to help keep yarn tight as they worked. Look for this loom weight in the Cabinet of Curiosities in the exhibition Empire of Things. A small tag tied around this loom weight bears a partially legible inscription written by Sallie Casey Thayer: “[Se]cured from the German excavations at Jericho 1908 by Mrs. W. B. Thayer. / I picked it up myself. They had [r]eached [the lowest walls. This loom] weight [came] from [the] lowest str[a]tum.”

Tap the image above and swipe to view the inscriptions on the front and back of the tag.

This loom weight is part of the extensive art collection donated by Sallie Casey Thayer to KU in 1917. Weavers used loom weights to help keep yarn taunt as they worked. The tag reads, “Secured from the German excavation at Jericho 1908 by Mrs. WB Thayer."

This loom weight is part of the extensive art collection donated by Sallie Casey Thayer to KU in 1917. Weavers used loom weights to help keep yarn taunt as they worked. The tag reads, “Incurred from the Herman excavations at Jericho 1908 by W. B. Thayer.”

This loom weight is part of the extensive art collection donated by Sallie Casey Thayer to KU in 1917. Weavers used loom weights to help keep yarn taunt as they worked. The tag reads, “Incurred from the Herman excavations at Jericho 1908 by W. B. Thayer.”

This loom weight is part of the extensive art collection donated by Sallie Casey Thayer to KU in 1917. Weavers used loom weights to help keep yarn taunt as they worked. The tag reads, “Incurred from the Herman excavations at Jericho 1908 by W. B. Thayer.”