Carved stone ball

This carved stone ball was found at New Keig in Aberdeenshire. It dates from between 3200 and 2500 BC. Many functions have been suggested for these objects. Whatever their function, they were prestigious possessions, symbols of power.

The quartzite ball has been carved with four projecting knobs. Carved stone balls have been found with as many as 160 knobs, but six is the most common number, followed by four.

Carved stone balls are distinctly Scottish objects, with over 425 known, all but a handful found in Scotland. They were made first by roughing out a sphere, and then chipping away to create the raised knobs and patterns. They were made from a variety of types of stone, some easily carved but others requiring great skill to work.

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