Some Old And Interesting Carved Balls...!

The balls are an interesting find, mainly because no one seems to know exactly what they are or what their use was. It certainly doesn't look like anything used for playing a game, does it?

The Carved Stone Balls

Photo credit: ashmolean.org

If you ever want to annoy a British archaeologist, ask about the carved stone balls. They have been found in archaeological sites across Great Britain and Ireland (although most are in Scotland), and nobody has any idea what they are.

Most of the balls date to the Late Neolithic, from about 3000–2500 BC. They are almost identical in size and are all carved with circular knobs surrounding the central sphere. The quality of the carving varies, although all show some attempt at symmetry.

There are various theories as to their use, all of them unproven and most of them wildly implausible. We can say that the balls served no practical purpose since they rarely show any signs of wear or damage. Oddly, it’s rare for more than one ball to be found together, although three were discovered at the Skara Brae site in Orkney.

I was wondering about the size, but all I could find was a statement that they were about 2.5 inches in diameter.

Coffee out on the patio this Summer like morning.