I have written a blog for Cambridge University Press about Scottish carved stone balls. Just click on the image and it will take you to their site.
Holding these extraordinary objects was one of the great moments of my life. So here’s a photo of me with my pure-joy expression.
Photo: Damian Kelly, taken at the Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow.
Author: lynne
I am an Honorary Researcher at LaTrobe University. I am the author of 19 books, the most recent being 'Spiders: learning to love them' (Allen & Unwin), 'Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies' (Cambridge University Press, 'The Memory Code' (Allen & Unwin, AUS; Pegasus Books, US and Atlantic Books, UK), 'Memory Craft' (Allen & Unwin, AUS; Pegasus Books, US) [and foreign translations, audio versions and so on]. My latest book is co-authored by Margo Neale. 'Songlines: the power and promise' and published by Thames & Hudson with the National Museum of Australia.
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Photo: Damian Kelly, taken at the Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow.
hi there
what material were the Scottish stone balls made of?
thank you
Hi David. They were made of various stones ranging from sandstone to granite. Some were very hard to carve with the tools available, so it must have been for a purpose worth all the effort. Mnemonic objects are highly prized because they are so important to the knowledge keepers, so I am sure these were memory devices. And the ones I have work so well, even though they are wood.
Lynne