Carved stone ball

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Carved stone ball, sandstone, six projecting knobs, Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age, 3,500 -5,500 years ago

Museum number: 1964-133

Over 425 carved stone balls have been discovered in Scotland, mainly in the northeast.

Their purpose is unknown. Due to the amount of skill and effort needed to create them, carved stone balls are assumed to be ritualistic or symbols of power. They are all a similar size, with varying numbers of projecting discs or knobs.

The majority have not come from archaeological sites, which makes them difficult to date. They probably date to the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age, 3,500 -5,500 years ago.