Spindle whorl of turned shale, of Roman date

At Kimmeridge in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, shale was used in Roman times for making such objects as cups, bracelets, buttons, and spindle-whorls. The perforated disc is an example of a turned whorl used with a wooden spindle for spinning.

The turning tools were provided with flint tips.

The other disc is a waste centre which has resulted from a lathe turning process. Many of these have been found and were at one time thought to have been coins and consequently were known as Kimmeridge Pennies.