Tabitha the Celtic Curator

Dec 23, 20207 min read

Carved Stone Balls: The Great Scottish Mystery

A young man stands tall, handling a spherical object passing it back and forth in his hands, feeling the design with his fingers. He has spent months carving it, the symmetry, the intricate designs, the knobs. He is warmed by the rising Sun in the North East, it is solstice. The time has come. The man looks out on to the horizon, and facing the Sun lifts the sphere and hurtles it forward as fast as he can. It lands somewhere in the vast farmland in front of him. He is happy, his land will be fertile this year bringing a good crop.

Rectangle with black outline, inside is another rectangle stylised with tape at each corner, around the rectangle is white. Inside the rectangle is an image of a man looking over farmland and at the carved stone ball he threw. The sun has just come up and the sky is blue and yellow, and orange — [Figure 1 My artistic reproduction of the above text]

Celticcurator introduces:

Carved Stone Balls, The Great Scottish Mystery

For this blog post I will be exploring the mysterious Carved Stone Balls of Late-Neolithic Scotland, with a specific artefact study from the University of Aberdeen Museum Collections. Carved Stone Balls are also called CSBs. I will tell you about ABDUA 16250, some theories of what they are for, and a bit about the symbolism of the Sun and Farming.

“Tell me, what are Carved Stone Balls and why are they so mysterious?”

Well reader, I would like to tell you I have all the answers, but the Carved Stone Balls of North East Scotland are a complete mystery! While we have found over 425[1] so far, we really know nothing about them, their purpose, religious significance, or their cultural context.

12 Carved Stone Balls are laid out on a white background, there is a small label that says 3 on the right side. The balls have various sizes of knobs, some have squirl patterning and some have spherical lines. Some are dark brown, some are pale and some are mixed grey and white. — [Figure 2 Image of 12 Carved Stone Balls in various designs]

Useful terms:

Late-Neolithic: Late-Neolithic, is a Prehistoric era also known as the New Stone Age. Description of artefacts that are said to be from Late-Neolithic to Early Bronze Age (approx. 3500 to 1500 BC), are items created in the Neolithic Era that could have been continued to be used in the Early Bronze Age. It is a time of great agricultural production, and life started to revolve around farming.

Socially valorised: to give validity (and value) to a social practice or object that is used within society.

Summer Solstice: when the path of the Sun in the sky is the farthest North in the Northern Hemisphere (Sun rises in the East), it is the day with the longest period of daylight. It is relevant because gaps or entrances to Stonehenge and similar monuments are in the North East, which would match the path of the Sun during solstice, and most Carved Stone Balls are found in the North East, or when found elsewhere, are found in an Easterly or North East position.

Ontological: Dealing with the nature of being.

Animism: the belief that all natural things, such as plants, animals, rocks, and thunder, have souls and can influence human events. In this case, Stone Carved Balls could have been an offering in exchange for fertile farming land.

CSBs in General

The 425+ balls have a variety of number of designs and knobs, from ornate & many to simple & rough. Despite these differences in design, they do have some similarity – in weight and diameter. I could not find data on the individual weights. For the diameter, they are generally measured in at 70 mm.[2]

I would like to share the following quote with you:

“These observations, if borne out by measurement, relate carved stone balls to the dimensions of both stone circles and cup-and-ring marks.”[3]

This means that they are essentially mini monuments in terms of size, which led me to thinking could their symbolic purpose also be the same? The Sun was of huge importance to the monuments, so there must be some connection.

Image of a light grey carved stone ball, unfinished with 2 large knob discs visible. The large area in between the discs has the beginnings of carving small knobs are visible. — [Figure 3 Image of a Carved Stone Ball light grey unfinished]

An image of a dark carved stone ball showing the front of one knob and the side of 3 knobs. The pattern is swirls. — [Figure 4 Image of a Carved Stone Ball with swirls]

Find more images here.

There have been many theories[4] about the purpose of the balls, here are a few:

· attached to sticks and used as weapons

· mounted as mace head

· thrown competitively from one place to another

· poises on primitive weighing machines

· prestige objects

· used at clan conferences, the Chief handling it as he considered a judgement

I have other ideas! The reason why I do not prefer the above theories is because I feel the placement and monument relationship is ignored. None of those ask why they are found in the North East.

Where are they found?

Most of them are found in Aberdeenshire, the North East of Scotland. When they have been found in an original place like in a dig, they have been found in the North East. I think this is important because during Summer Solstice the Sun Rises in the North East and in monuments like Stonehenge there is usually a gap or entrance in the North East of the structure.[5]

Although they are rarely found where they were originally placed all those years ago, in September of 1903 a farmer named Mr Raffan found a stone ball East or North East to his house when lifting potatoes. His farm is in Bog, Glenfoudland, Parish of Insch, Aberdeenshire.[6] There have been a few other examples where the Carved Stone Balls have been found, so casually, you expect a great uncovering, but the reality is less glamourous.[7]

Did you know?

The estimated age of the CSBs was changed after the theory that flint was used to carve the stones was accepted[8]
Miniature CSBs have been found in Ireland[9]
A CSB found in the Orkney Settlement was painted with fish paste – fish was a taboo in Neolithic times[10]

More info here

First Agricultural Revolution

When Palaeolithic changed to Neolithic, there was a huge social shift. Life moved from Hunting & Gathering to Farming. This moved society from somewhat equal in terms of everyone bringing something to the table to a sudden hierarchy where there was something to protect and look after. People settled more and daily life became solely about protecting and producing food & crops. This era is referred to as the First Agricultural Revolution and led to the domestication of plants.[11]

Since farming was very important to Neolithic society, my theory is CSBs were put in the land as a fertility offering to their deity to ask for a good crop. Animism was the religious belief at the time, suggestive that stones had a soul. If stones had a soul then they could be sacrificed to gain fertile land.[12] What would help my theory is to gather a large quantity, if not all, of the CSBs and test them for materials, measurements and for traces of plants, animals, and food residue. It would also be helpful to get a profile of the designs on each ball and see if patterning of CSBs matches any Neolithic foods, seeds, drugs, or medicine.

Individual Artefact Study

I had the exciting opportunity to examine one of the CSBs, called ABDUA 16250, from the University of Aberdeen Museum Collections. It makes such a difference holding the artefact in your hands. You get the opportunity to take a sensory journey and feel the power of the object. This helps you see beyond the academic.

Image of ABDUA 16250 on a white pillow. Showing grooved area which goes around the whole ball splitting in 3 ways. — [Figure 5 Image of ABDUA 16250 taken by me showing grooved area]

Image of ABDUA 16250 on a white pillow, showing one disc which is a carved circle grid with little rounded squares, maybe over 100. Also shows damaged areas and 16250 sticker. Is dark green blue in colour. — [Figure 6 Image of ABDUA 16250 taken by me showing damage]

ABDUA 16250, ‘Stone Carved Ball’ was donated by the widow of Dr John Graham Callander on his death in 1938 to the University of Aberdeen (then Marischal College). Dr Callander was Director of the National Museum of Antiquities for Scotland and had a vast private Scottish Prehistoric Antiquities collection.[13] He also received an Honorary Degree from the University. The artefact is now a part of the Human Culture Collection at the University of Aberdeen Museums. Marischal College still exists and is a wonderful historic building in the Aberdeen City Centre, find out more here.

This is an artist drawing of ABDUA 16250. With following text: 'ABDUA 16250' then 'Carved Stone Ball - Neolithic - N. East Scotland' — [Figure 7 My artistic rendering of ABDUA 16250]

From my own research ABDUA 16250 is 55 mm in diameter but is listed as 63 mm and 65 mm elsewhere.[14] To give you some scale, I have two images below. To give you a sense of what it is like to hold it, imagine holding a heavy naval orange, the weight would be about 1 lb of honey in a glass jar. The ball is likely to be made of serpentine material. In Dorothy Marshalls essential publication, she mentions she did not have the skills to test the CSBs so relied on previous data.[15] This is interesting to me, perhaps another reason I should gather the hundreds of artefacts and test them!

An image of a cut orange on top of two whole oranges, next to a glass jar of Scottish set honey. The image is stylised by an artist to have a white snow like feature in the background around the items. — [Figure 8 Artist image of oranges and jar of honey]

ABDUA 16250 has four knobs, each with a hatching pattern, a polished surface, and the spaces between the knobs are carved in grooves. It is very symmetrical and does have some damage. It is a dark blue-green colour. It is dated approx. 3500 to 1500 BC, later Neolithic into the Bronze Age. The object is from Aberdeenshire in the North East of Scotland, but we do not have an exact location.[16]

Have you seen the video below? It gives an insight into my artefact study and personal research methods.

[Figure 9 YouTube Video about ABDUA 16250 and personal research, Alt Text: YouTube video about ABDUA 16250 and my personal research. The video is a still of a Caucasian woman in her 20's with winter clothing standing of a beach with the ocean on the right and sand dunes on the left.]

Everyone who has researched them has the same access to information as I had and similarly have all come up with, like me, theories but with no conclusive evidence. It is okay not to find all the answers during your research. Unless we suddenly found a lot more Carved Stone Balls in their original archaeological context then we will never really know what they are for, and like my story in the beginning, can only use our imagination.

Why not leave a comment below? I’d love to hear any theories of your own!

[1] Dorothy Marshall, "Carved Stone Balls", Journals.Socantscot.Org, 1977 [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [2] Murdo Macdonald, A Note on The Diameters of Carved Stone Balls (Dundee: History of Scottish Art, School of Fine Art, University of Dundee, 2006), pp. Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 136 (2006), 75–76 [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [3] Murdo Macdonald, A Note on The Diameters of Carved Stone Balls (Dundee: History of Scottish Art, School of Fine Art, University of Dundee, 2006), pp. Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 136 (2006), 75–76 [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [4] Dorothy Marshall, "Carved Stone Balls", Journals.Socantscot.Org, 1977 [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [5] John Edwin Wood, Sun, Moon, And Standing Stones (Oxford: Oxford University Press & Merrivale Books Limited, 1978), pp. 174. [6] JOHN G CALLANDER DONOR FILE ABDUA 16250 ARCHIVE MATERIAL, n.d. [7] JOHN G CALLANDER DONOR FILE ABDUA 16250 ARCHIVE MATERIAL, n.d. [8] Dorothy Marshall, "Carved Stone Balls", Journals.Socantscot.Org, 1977 [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [9] Alison Sheridan, "Little and Large: The Miniature 'Carved Stone Ball' Beads from The Eastern Passage Tomb Under the Main Mound At Knowth, Ireland, And Their Broader Significance", in Entre Archéologie Et Écologie, Une Préhistoire De Tous Les Milieux - Mélanges Offerts À Pierre Pétrequin, 1st edn, 2014, pp. 303 - 314 [10] Michael Parker Pearson, Food, Culture and Identity in The Neolithic And Early Bronze Age, 1st edn (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2003), pp. 15 [11] Michael Parker Pearson, Food, Culture and Identity in The Neolithic And Early Bronze Age,1st edn (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2003), pp. 1 [12] "Religion in The Neolithic Age", Study.Com [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [13] JOHN G CALLANDER DONOR FILE ABDUA 16250 ARCHIVE MATERIAL, n.d. [14] Tabitha McKechnie ‘Artefact Assignment: Interim Report 2 ABDUA 16250 Carved Stone Ball’ n.p. [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [15] Dorothy Marshall, "Carved Stone Balls", Journals.Socantscot.Org, 1977 [Accessed 27 November 2020]. [16] JOHN G CALLANDER DONOR FILE ABDUA 16250 ARCHIVE MATERIAL, n.d.