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Carved stone ball

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from Stoer, Sutherland

Carved stone ball
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This carved stone ball was found at Stoer in Sutherland. 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 ball, of hornblende schist, 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 from a variety of types of stone, some easily carved but others, such as this one, quite difficult to work.

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