The symbolism of spinning in Classical Art and Society

Different types of sources attest to spinning in the Roman world, ranging from iconography to epigraphy, from literature to the artefacts found in the archaeological record. Each source provides us with a different perception into the process: for instance, spinning required implements, the study of which helps our understanding of technology. On the other hand, the products obtained, and above all textiles, could serve practical/functional as well as social purposes: therefore textiles could also carry social and cultural messages. Similarly, stages of their production and implements used, could also acquire religious, cultural and social significance. This paper analyses these latter aspects, in the attempt to explore the symbolism of spinning in the Roman world. The main aim is to identify how the ancients perceived and conveyed the different meanings attached to this process through time. Then, the analysis focuses on Roman funerary art and contexts, where spinning implements frequently appear among the objects chosen for the self-representation of the deceased as indicators of one, or more, of the following categories: gender, social identity, social status, rank and role of the deceased in society.