For thousands of years, mankind has been spinning fibers into threads to produce fabrics. Up until the Middle Ages, hand spindles in different variations were mainly used in Europe to produce yarn from vegetable or animal fibers.
The oldest finds of spindles date back to the Neolithic Age. At first, a simple spinning stick was probably used. But since ancient times, spindles with whorls have also been known.
Hand spindles can be seen a little later on Egyptian wall paintings, Greek vases, and clay vessels.