Archaeologists have discovered unusual polished stone balls the size of a palm while excavating a Neolithic settlement in the Orkney Islands. This was reported in the Daily Mail.
The stones were discovered on the Tresness Peninsula, where active archaeological work has been carried out since 2017, as the rocks on which the ancient settlement was located are gradually dumping into the sea. At the moment, scientists have found more than 20 stones, and gradually the number of finds of this kind is increasing.
The exact purpose of the polished stones found in late Neolithic sites throughout the British archipelago remains unknown, but researchers have put forward several hypotheses about why they might have been created. So, according to some, the balls were decorated with weapons or had a ritual purpose. This is evidenced by the fact that some of these artifacts were decorated with an ornament. Other researchers, citing the fact that most of the balls have a similar mass, suggest that they were used as primitive scales. Another version says that the balls were used as bearings, helping to move heavy stones. According to archaeologists who adhere to this version, the bearings were absolutely necessary, given that a significant part of the Neolithic buildings in Scotland was created from huge boulders.
Experts report that a Bronze Age stone pyramid ("core") and the remains of a wooden foundation of an ancient temple were also discovered in Tresness.