Loom Weight with Greek Inscription

Pyramidal loom weight with a hole positioned just below the apex, that is, immediately beneath the upper point. The surface appears rather rough and worn. A graffito inscription reading “Tymo” is present, executed in the Achaean Greek alphabet and written in retrograde, that is, traced in the opposite direction to the normal flow of writing.

Weaving must have been one of the main activities at the settlement of San Nicola, as demonstrated by the extremely large number of loom weights discovered there—more than one thousand, recovered both through archaeological excavations and chance finds. These small objects were used to keep the warp threads of the loom taut. The many loom weights from San Nicola are very similar to one another in shape and size; this uniformity is not accidental, but rather indicates the achievement of a high level of specialization in textile production. Particularly significant is a small group of objects bearing inscriptions with female names, written in the Achaean alphabet, such as this example with the name “Tymo.” These names provide two important pieces of information: first, they attest to the direct role of women in weaving activities; second, they demonstrate the cultural influence exerted on the settlement of San Nicola by the Greek colony of Sybaris, founded by the Achaeans, rather than by Siris, the other nearby Magna Graecia colony founded by settlers from Colophon, where the Ionic dialect was in use.