Featured: Lost Secrets - an adventure during Neolithic times

Lost Secrets - an adventure during Neolithic times

Random Image


Trolldalen

Avebury Archaeology Map

Avebury Archaeology Map

Who's Online

There are currently, 297 guests and 0 members online.

You are a guest. To join in, please register for free by clicking here

Sponsors

<< Feature Articles >> Carved Stone Balls

Submitted by cosmic on Saturday, 06 December 2008  Page Views: 21451

Multi-periodCountry: Scotland County: Aberdeenshire Type: Carving

Internal Links:

Marischal Museum
Marischal Museum submitted by cosmic : Carved ball from Aberdeenshire (unspecified area). (Vote or comment on this photo)
Just over 420 carved stone balls are known. They date from about 3500 to 1500 BC, the later Neolithic into the Bronze Age. Almost all come from Scotland, mostly from the area between the Tay and Moray Firth, with one each from Ireland, Cumbria, Bridlington, Durham and Norway.

The vast majority are about 7cm (3 inches) although some larger ones with a diameter of 90-114mm are also known. A few are oval rather than round. Most of the balls are covered in knobs varying from three up to 160 but most commonly (almost half of all known) have six. Some knobs and, sometimes, the spaces between them are decorated with an incised pattern and occasionally the whole ball is decorated with a single design. The decorations include hatchings, incised lines, spirals and concentric circles. The size/prominence of the knobs varies.

The distribution tends to follow that of Pictish Stones but as Pictish Stones emerge some 200 years later, then perhaps we should say precede rather than follow. The vast majority of known origin were found between the Tay and Moray Firth.

They are constructed from a variety of materials ranging from sandstone to granite. The carving skills would clearly depend on the hardness of the material.

A good set of examples can be seen in my photos from Marischal College and see also our Skara Brae page for the balls discovered there.

Cosmic
Aberdeen.


Note: Last week's Making History programme on Radio 4 had a feature about Carved Stone Balls. Available for listen again until Tuesday. Link in the comment

Diameters of Neolithic carved stone balls
Diameters of Neolithic carved stone balls submitted by TimothyF : A frequency chart showing the distribution of the neolithic Scottish carved stone balls. It included some outlayers that are not carve, but are roughly spherical. The significance of 69mm +/- 2mm diameters was shown. A few additional such balls located since then eg as those found in the Ness of Brodgar have the same diameters. Note that 69 is 3 x23 . So, 23mm+/- 2mm is thus identified as the... (Vote or comment on this photo)

Analysis of diameter range of Neolithic Carved Stone Balls
Analysis of diameter range of Neolithic Carved Stone Balls submitted by TimothyF : Analysis of diameter range of Neolithic Carved Stone Balls Several points have been overlooked by the critics. amongst these are 1. As our Neoliths likely did not use metric measurements or have precise modern instruments there must be some flexibility in measurements made 4 or 5 000 years. 2. Both studies (rings and balls) are on going and results therefore vary with data that comes in. 3. I... (10 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

<< Stonehenge Environs

Applying a modern Spreadsheet to prove the Megalithic Yard >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Great Crowns of Stone: The Recumbent Stone Circles of Scotland

Great Crowns of Stone: The Recumbent Stone Circles of Scotland

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"Carved Stone Balls" | Login/Create an Account | 16 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Re:Bridlington stone sphere by TiggsMum on Saturday, 10 February 2024
(User Info | Send a Message)
Hi, does anyone have any further information about this particular sphere?
e.g. where was it found, photo, where is it now?
Cheers
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls ... by Anonymous on Thursday, 03 December 2015
My latest research on Scotland's carved stone balls can now be read on the Scottish Heritage Hub at http://bit.ly/1JMV1ae
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls by Anonymous on Friday, 17 July 2009
The Elgin museum has some fine specimens on display.

Regards,

Xander van der Voort
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls by Anonymous on Monday, 15 December 2008
Have a lok at the article Carved stone Balls on Wikipedia for illustrations etc.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls by Anonymous on Monday, 08 December 2008
I have also been fascinated by these balls for some years now and looked at some in the Ashmolean museum in Oxford. I also went to Skara Brae and while there became convinced they were weapons. Think about it - a bare fist or a fist with one of these in - like a knuckle duster. They could have made the difference between living or not, to the owner, hence the elaborate decorations. The geometrical accuracy of the ones I saw in Oxford is incredible!
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls Radio 4 by Andy B on Saturday, 06 December 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
Cosmic writes:
As has been mentioned, last Tuesdays Making History programme on Radio 4 has a feature about Carved Stone Balls. It is available for listen again until Tuesday so be quick.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/making_history.shtml

The accompanying website article gives Megalithic Portal as one of its three references.

[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls by AngieLake on Saturday, 06 December 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
Some camcorder stills of stone balls in an exhibition at Skara Brae's visitor centre museum in 2001 are now posted on the Skara Brae site page.
I believe they were all found at the village during excavations.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls by Anonymous on Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Having listened to Radio 4 today 02/12/08 I was fascinated to hear of these stones, and was amazed that no one knew their use?

Fact: they are found almost universally in fields? - They are not weapons. Rocks are cheaper! And if they were Money someone [a lot of people were very careless] - A lot of effort was made in their construction.

Applying illogical thought and projections of the bizzare item - I came to the conclusion that they were designed to be Buried!

Remember that the church and the written word wasn't devised at this time! - So only word and mouth was the norm! - Luck and the will of the God[s] was paramount!

To get the best for the land and God[s] favour follow the norm and bury your request or luck and wait for it to multiply. As your crops grow, so will your luck; or request of your god[s].

These things cost time and Money to Buy or make?? - Unknown, but time and effort was obviously devoted in their production.

Conclusion: They were made to be Buried!


[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls by AngieLake on Tuesday, 02 December 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
Gosh - nearly 3 years since making that comment on my 2001 visit, here's the stone balls' info board text from the Skara Brae museum's display:

"Mystery Objects
Mysterious stone objects were found at the village. Their purpose is not known, but they had some religious significance. A great amount of time was invested in elaborately carving these stones, so they wre clearly important. They could have been used in religious ceremonies.
Or perhaps they were symbols of power, and when passed round a gathering of people, bestowed on the holder the right to speak."

[ Reply to This ]

Re: Carved Stone Balls by Anonymous on Tuesday, 02 December 2008
The first thing that came to mind when I saw pictures of the Stone Balls, is they are weapons, they would be trown at their enemy, and the carving would be to identify whos balls are whos, when they retrieve them...

drpete
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Balls by Anonymous on Sunday, 25 February 2007


google neolithic scots for the latest research emanating rom the balls
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Balls by MickM on Monday, 09 January 2006
(User Info | Send a Message)
There is another good selection in Inverurie Museum.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Balls by megawoogi on Friday, 06 January 2006
(User Info | Send a Message)
Presumably a typo:

"The distribution tends to follow that of Pictish Stones but as Pictish Stones emerge over 2000 years later, then perhaps we should say precede rather than follow. The vast majority of known origin were found between the Tay and Moray Firth."

Very cool artefacts, just GOT to be ritual...

MAtt
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Balls by David on Wednesday, 04 January 2006
(User Info | Send a Message)
Manchester useum has one of these in their vaults apparently. I've tried on several occasions to see it but without success. Now I doubt its existence.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: by AngieLake on Monday, 02 January 2006
(User Info | Send a Message)
Just searched 'Skara Brae' on the portal, and under 'Lead to Habitation' there are more theories/comments on these balls.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: by AngieLake on Monday, 02 January 2006
(User Info | Send a Message)
These balls are fascinating, and I'd love to know what they were for. Maybe just a game, maybe just decorative artefacts, maybe even some kind of currency?? Or, perhaps people carved them as a kind of 'soul' stone?
The visitor centre at Skara Brae on Orkney had some fabulous examples when I was there in 2001. (Shall have to turn out my camcorder film of the museum and see how they were described.)
There was also a really lovely one with several points, a bit like an ancient 'dibber', that puzzled me.
[ Reply to This ]

Your Name: Anonymous [ Register Now ]
Subject:


Add your comment or contribution to this page. Spam or offensive posts are deleted immediately, don't even bother

<<< What is five plus one as a number? (Please type the answer to this question in the little box on the left)
You can also embed videos and other things. For Youtube please copy and paste the 'embed code'.
For Google Street View please include Street View in the text.
Create a web link like this: <a href="https://www.megalithic.co.uk">This is a link</a>  

Allowed HTML is:
<p> <b> <i> <a> <img> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <tt> <li> <ol> <ul> <object> <param> <embed> <iframe>

We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.