Archaeologists were surprised to find two mysterious stone balls polished during excavations on the Scottish island of Sandy. The artifacts are around 5,500 years old and are located in a Neolithic tomb. Now, researchers from several universities are trying to unravel the mystery behind these strange objects.
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mysterious spheres
According to a statement from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), it is unclear what the original purpose of the stone tools was. In addition, hundreds of very similar balls have already been found in archaeological sites dating back to the Neolithic period.
With that, it was possible to notice that most of these mysterious spheres were found in Scotland. However, these artifacts have also been located in other countries, such as England, Ireland and Norway. Some of these spheres have different elaborate carvings, while there are others that are just polished.
Expert commentary on the mysterious stone balls
According to UCLan archeology professor Vicki Cummings, the smooth fragments were produced at the beginning of a Neolithic period, corresponding to a prehistoric phase known as the Age of Metals. The more complex fragments were from later periods.
Another relevant aspect highlighted by the expert was the time it can take for a stone to be polished. With this, the researchers used different hypotheses to try to explain the function of this artifact. Many say that these spheres, which are close to the size of baseballs, were used as weapons, ceremonial objects or just had an artistic character.
Currently, most archaeologists specializing in this area believe that the spheres found were intended to serve as a symbol of social status for various people.
