Two polished balls found in a Scottish tomb
Experts from the University of Central Lancashire and the National Museums of Scotland examined an ancient burial site in the Orkney Islands and found artifacts there whose purpose could not be immediately determined. They were two carefully polished stone balls, the researchers said on their blog.
The tomb was 5500 years old. She is in a rock that is slowly crumbling. Therefore, historians is in a hurry to study it as best as possible, until the final destruction occurs.
The tomb consists of several chambers. Balls were the main find. They were kept in a compartment dating back to the early Neolithic.
The balls are similar in size to cricket balls – about 5 cm in diameter. They have an “ideal” spherical shape.
Earlier, archaeologists discovered about 500 of these balls during excavations in Europe. There are about twenty of them in Scotland.
The purpose of the balls is unclear. According to various theories, they could be used for religious ceremonies or fortune-telling, as weapons or tools for processing leather and moving building blocks.
Along with stone balls, the researchers also found the remains of people and animals (mostly in poor condition), ceramics and various stone artifacts: knives, hammers, pot lids and parts for a primitive plow. Another find was a Bronze Age stone pyramid, a type of burial unique only to the Orkney Islands.
Earlier it was reported that the ruins of a “ghost castle” were found on the Scottish island. They were found using radar.
