Inscribed Spindle Whorls from a Byzantine Burial Cave at Yavne-Yam, Israel

This paper discusses two inscribed spindle whorls from a Byzantine period burial cave excavated at the site of Yavne-Yam, Israel. The spindle whorls (or perforated items) bear unintelligible incised inscriptions that suggest that these were never meant to be read; hence, they may be considered as magical items. The nominal ftnction of these objects was to transmit a message, be it to the world of the living or the world of the dead.