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The only irrefutable proof that Romans used their triangular tablets for
weaving would of course be finding woven bands that needed such
equipment. I know of no such textiles... in fact when I was writing TTW
there were no bands in existence anywhere that necessitated their use.
The fact that they were found in larger numbers than were the square,
and that their holes often showed thread-wear, is therefore a great puzzle.

I suggested a possible use in rope-making because rope or cord is most
commonly made from three strands; and the tablet could conceivably be
the top in such a process. It has also been suggested they could have been
the pans of a weighing scale.

I rather doubt if their proposed use as weaving implements would now be
current if it were not for its inclusion in Margrethe Hald's influential
writings. But she was basing this on the pierced wooden triangles found in
Scandinavia, now known to be a very ingenious way of suspending three
shafts on a loom.

Peter Collingwood


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