134 H. Rivett-CaiTiac— 0« Clay Bhcs called " Spindle WJiorls." [No. 3, 



(Lake Habitations and Prehistoric Eemains in Northern and Central Italy, 

 B. Gastaldi, pp. 44, 45, 46, 47.) 



In Italy these mysterious articles are found of clay and marble, as in 

 India. The ornamentation is the same and in Italy also are found the 

 disc-shaped Terra Cottas without any hole similar to those of North Wes- 

 tern India. It is hardly necessary to burden this paper "with any more 

 sketches. The Italian remains are almost exactly the satne as those of 

 Schliemann, but I cannot resist the temptation of copying the specimen 

 marked 8 B -which will be found figured at p. 45 of Gastaldi's work. 

 It is almost identical with No. 12 of those figured by me. 



Next as to the use to which these remains were placed. Dr. Schlie- 

 mann discusses the subject at length in several places in his valuable work on 

 Troy. And it will be seen that Gastaldi is puzzled as to their significance. 

 Dr. Schliemann arrives at the conclusion that, although some of them may 

 have been used as spindle-whorls, the greater number of them were votive 

 offerings. And Gastaldi considers that some at least were amulets. The 

 symbols on most of those found at Hissarlik would seem to leave little 

 doubt of their religious character. Of tlie Indian specimens, it is not easy 

 to say why some should have the central hole a"nd others should be 

 unpierced. But, if they are votive offerings, the fact that the pierced ones 

 were found in smaller quantities at Sankisa than those without the hole, 

 may possibly be explained by a practice, which was noticed by me years ago 

 at some shrines of pilgrimage in the Central Provinces. There the pilgrim, 

 when he makes a vow or implores a favour, smeares his right hand with red 

 colouring matter, and impresses it, fingers upwards, on the wall of the temple, 

 leaving there a mark like the l-led Hand of Ulster. If the favour, the birth 

 of a child or whatever it may be, is granted by the presiding deity, the 

 pilgrim is supposed to return to the shrine the following year, and to 

 impress on the wall a similar mark, the fingers of the hand this time point- 

 ing downwards. It was very noticeable that the latter marks were well 

 in the minority, and it was carefully explained by the local priests that 

 this was not to be acco\inted for by the supposition that the deity was slow 

 in his favours, but that, in truth, the suppliants, when they had obtained 

 what they wanted, were not always mindful to return and to fulfil their 

 vows. Perhaps in this way the proportion of the unpierced to pierced 

 discs may be explained, The unpierced ones being offered when a favour 

 was implored, the pierced ones when it was obtained. 



Be this as it may, the view that these discs are votive offerings is 

 supported by the religious character of the symbols, already alluded to, found 

 on the whorls of Hissarlik and Sankisa. Since I commenced to write 

 this paper, I have received a copy of Alabaster's " Wheel of the Law." At 

 Fig. 8 A will be fouud a copy of the sketch of the Buddhist wheel of the 



