Mysterious Ancient Artifact That Still Baffles Archaeologists
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Almost always, specialists have a good grasp of what historical objects were created for. But there are a few exceptions to this rule - such as 5,000-year-old Neolithic stone balls.
These elaborately carved stone balls have been predominantly found in Scotland, but also elsewhere in Britain and Ireland. They date from the later Neolithic period (circa 3200-2500BC) and are still a bit of a puzzle.
Over 425 balls have been found. They are generally the size of a tennis ball and made from a wide variety of stones. Their surfaces are sculpted, sometimes into raised circular discs and sometimes with deep incisions defining knobs and lobes in high relief. The standard of artwork varies from the extremely crude to the highly expert which only an exceptionally skilled craftsman could have produced. Decoration takes the form of spirals or concentric shapes, echoing those found on pottery and monumental stones of the era.
Some have been found in burials, others in settlements. They are rarely, if ever, identical, and most are found alone, so don’t seem to have been part of a set. Some appear to have been heavily handled during their lifetime.
The original use of these stone balls has been a source of much debate, right back to their earliest discovery in the 19th century. Many were chance finds or circulated with little provenance in art collections and have rarely been found in an archaeological context.
Were they missiles for deterring predators and pests? Weapons of war? Toys? Or perhaps measuring weights, household ornaments, mnemonic devices, ball bearings to move megaliths or holders for yarn? The answer still escapes us.
Magical Mysterious Roman Object: Dodecahedrons have long perplexed archaeologists and historians. Most can be dated to the 2nd and 3rd century AD, and they are typically 12-sided geometric objects made of metal with hollow centers. They’re about the size of a baseball and are dotted with large holes; studs protrude from each corner. They have only been found in the northwestern regions of the Roman Empire, many at ancient burial sites. For now, and perhaps forever, the mystery of the Roman dodecahedrons remains unsolved. Any ideas?
