Ticker

A wooden tong, discovered during excavations in quarter V of Szczecin Podzamcze in a cultural layer dated to the turn of the 12th - 13th centuries. The tongs also called needles or fishing needles, are small tools made of soft, carefully polished wood. They are associated with making and repairing fishing nets. A string was wound on pliers, then eyes of the net were woven with the help of a bier. The string unrolled from the pliers was wrapped and tightened around the bier, which determined the size of meshes. The tongs could also be used in weaving workshops for tying threads. They were found in unchanged forms all over Europe. To this day, their shape and purpose have not changed, but the wooden ones have been replaced by those made of plastic.

Sławomir Słowiński