Mystery of Scotland's strangely shaped stone balls: Archaeologists bewildered by 5,000-year-old carved objects
- More than 500 strange carved balls from the Stone Age have been found in northeast Scotland, the Orkney Islands, England, Ireland and one in Norway
- First found 200 years ago and archaeologists don't know where they came from
- Curator at National Museums Scotland created 3D models that show new details
For over 200 years, archaeologists all over the world have been left bewildered by strange carved balls from the Stone Age.
The 5,000-year-old artifacts have been found mostly in northeast Scotland, but also in the Orkney Islands, England, Ireland and one in Norway.
The Neolithic stone balls are one of the most well-known examples of Neolithic art. A curator at National Museums Scotland has created 3D models of the balls that show new details.
Click and drag the object below to see it from all sides
The National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh has the world's largest collection of carved stone balls.
It has approximately 140 originals from Neolithic sites in Scotland and the Orkney Islands.
The stone balls were made by Neolithic communities across the north east of Scotland and while archaeologists don’t know how these balls were used, many theories have been suggested.
They may have been weapons or symbols of status and authority used like ceremonial maceheads are today. Other theories are implausible, such as their use as rollers to transport large stones or as weights for traders.
The Neolithic stone balls are one of the most well-known examples of Neolithic art. A curator at National Museums Scotland has created 3D models of the balls that show new details
The 5,000-year-old artifacts have been found mostly in northeast Scotland, but also in the Orkney Islands, England, Ireland and one in Norway
'Many of the ideas you have to take with a pinch of salt, while there are others that may be plausible,' curator Hugo Anderson-Whymark said to Live Science.
'What's interesting is that people really get their imaginations captured by them — they still hold a lot of secrets.'
The Museum has posted 60 3D models of the stone balls online so that anyone can access them.
They were created with a process known as photogrammetry, which is the science of making measurements from photographs.
Britain began the move from 'hunter-gatherer' to farming and settlements about 7,000 years ago as part of the 'Neolithic Revolution'
The Neolithic Revolution was the world's first verifiable revolution in agriculture.
It began in Britain between about 5000 BC and 4500 BC but spread across Europe from origins in Syria and Iraq between about 11000 BC and 9000 BC.
The period saw the widespread transition of many disparate human cultures from nomadic hunting and gathering practices to ones of farming and building small settlements.
Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric structure in Europe, possibly the world, was built by Neolithic people, and later added to during the early Bronze Age
The revolution was responsible for turning small groups of travellers into settled communities who built villages and towns.
Some cultures used irrigation and made forest clearings to better their farming techniques.
Others stored food for times of hunger, and farming eventually created different roles and divisions of labour in societies as well as trading economies.
In the UK, the period was triggered by a huge migration or folk-movement from across the Channel.
The Neolithic Revolution saw humans in Britain move from groups of nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled communities. Some of the earliest monuments in Britain are Neolithic structures, including Silbury Hill in Wiltshire (pictured)
Today, prehistoric monuments in the UK span from the time of the Neolithic farmers to the invasion of the Romans in AD 43.
Many of them are looked after by English Heritage and range from standing stones to massive stone circles, and from burial mounds to hillforts.
Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric structure in Europe, possibly the world, was built by Neolithic people, and later finished during the Bronze Age.
Neolithic structures were typically used for ceremonies, religious feasts and as centres for trade and social gatherings.
The process revealed new information about some of the balls, including chips and markings that were not previously seen, according to Anderson-Whymark.
However, the mystery of the balls is nowhere close to solved.
'We might be able to get a little bit more of that story out in the future by more detailed analysis of these things,' Anderson-Whymark said.
'But they're always going to be slightly enigmatic.'
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