#petrospheres

Illustration from 'Notes of Small Ornamented Stone Balls found in different parts of Scotland, &c., with Remarks on their supposed Age and Use', published in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Volume 11 (1875)[journals.socantscot.org]

Contemporary Carved Stones, Tarland, Aberdeenshire

Stone spheres such as this one outside the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose were carved centuries ago by the Diquís Indians as symbols of prestige and identity. Over 300 petrospheres of this kind have been found in Costa Rica.

Two Neolithic Petrospheres, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow

Prehistoric Petrospheres and Mace Heads, Montrose Museum, Montrose, Angus

Prehistoric Petrospheres, Perth Museum, Perth and Kinross, Scotland

It's #MugshotMonday and today's mug was one of my most exciting finds through Instagram stories - this incredible carved stone balls inspired cup from @nth_pottery . Those of you who have been following me for a while know that I'm a sucker for small business, especially those who show the stories behind both the creators and the creations. You probably also know that my favourite artefact type are the Scottish carved stone balls. So imagine my delight when, while flicking through Instagram stories one day, someone had shared a behind the scenes reel from a potter making cups with a pattern created from carved stone balls! I couldn't resist... . For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I'll make sure to share a handy reel that I made on the topic. But to give a very quick overview: they are around 400 carved stone balls that are all about the same size but have varying different designs and styles. They are the ultimate mystery object, and so the theories of what they might have been used for are also widely varied in terms of actual possibility. Were they indeed used as a pattern creator when making pottery? Weapons? Boules? Ball bearings? Artistic portfolios (my personal favourite)? Purely pieces of art? Sensory objects? Each of these theories has their plus points but also all have strong arguments against them. . My favourite thing about these objects is that we'll never really know. The same can be said of nearly all archaeological objects, but too often people assume that there is only one theory that's actually correct and refuse to consider that there might be alternatives. Of course, any theory should always be based on supportable evidence, so can't just be wild surmise. But theories should always be questioned to make sure that they stay relevant and valid in light of new discoveries. . #carvedstoneballs #petrospheres #Scotland #Scottish #teaday #cuppatea #handmade #handmademug #archaeology #archaeologist #archaeologylife #prehistoric https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf3dhOnrl_0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=