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Tools for making clothes in Iron Age Britain

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Iron Age people took great care of their appearance, which enhanced an individual’s status. Tools for making cloth are often found on Iron Age settlements, suggesting each community made their own clothes of wool or linen, but Iron Age cloth was also traded with the Mediterranean world, where it was highly prized. These objects offer a chance to explore personal appearance in the Iron Age.


From

England


Date

800 BC – AD 50


Culture

Iron Age


Material

antler, bone, baked clay


Dimensions

loom weights:
height: 13-16 cm, thickness: 68-78 cm, weight: 1.25 kg
spindle whorls:
diameter: 3-5 cm, weight: 25-40 g
combs:
Length: 12-13 cm, Width: 3 cm


Museum

British Museum

(Please always check with the museum that the object is on display before travelling)

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