====== Carved stone balls (Scotland) ======

More than 400 examples of Scottish Carved Stone Balls have been found. They are believed to have originated in the late Neolithic and the Bronze Age - i.e. thought to be more than 5,000 years old.

Most have been found in north-east Scotland, mainly Aberdeenshire. They usually range in size from 70  to 90mm diameter, and are hand-carved with varying numbers of symmetrically-arranged protruding bumps on the surface  (from 3 to over 150) .

Their purpose is unknown. Suggestions include :

  * As a type of oracle
  * As a 'turn-taking' token
  * As weapons
  * As weights for balances
  * As fishing-line weights
  * As tools for rolling leather items
  * As 'ball bearings' for transporting heavy objects

See photos and 3-D rotatable scans of examples held at the [[https://sketchfab.com/nationalmuseumsscotland/collections/carved-stone-balls|National Museum of Scotland]]  <sup>[requires modern web-browser]:</sup>

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Also see : [[content:history:diquis_spheres]] and [[content:history:lithic_spheroids]]