Probable missile

This stone ball was found at Kildonan in Sutherland. It was probably used as a missile, sometime in the 15th or 16th century.

The ball is plain without any decoration. When found it had grains of gold adhering to its surface.

Carved stone balls without any decoration are difficult to date or to be certain of their function. Those which are very regular spheres around 60 mm in diameter, sometimes with fine pecking marks all over or with evidence of heating, are most likely to have been missiles. They were used in anti-personnel artillery guns called 'cut-throats' or 'bersis' mainly in the 15th and 16th century AD.

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