Weaving and Funerary Practices: An Attempt at Interpreting the Finds of Miniature Loom Weights in Burials from the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age (Poland and Germany)

Abstract The present article is the first study analysing the presence of miniature loom weights in the burials of the Lusatian Urnfield culture. On both sides of the Oder River, within vast cremation cemeteries, individual graves have been documented containing loom weights whose weight and size are atypical for this culture. These are very small, miniature specimens which, consequently, are lighter than the weaving implements known from settlement contexts. Morphological and functional analyses have excluded the possibility of their use in textile production. Contextual assessment, however, suggests that they were deliberately manufactured for funerary purposes, reflecting a broader custom of miniaturisation of grave goods. The author attempts to interpret these finds in terms of social identification of the deceased, hypothesising that the artifacts may have symbolised that the individuals were textile craft specialists. Alternative explanations are also considered, hinting at a possibility that the miniature loom weights may have had a ritual function or may have been intended to give to the deceased new roles within an eschatological belief system.