This sculpted stone artefact, which is comparable to carved stone balls, was discovered in V. Gordon Childe’s 1929 excavations on the late Neolithic (c.3100-2500 cal BC) site of Skara Brae, Sandwick, Orkney. This object was found in sand choking a passage south of the ‘Market Place’ close to a group of several unusual objects, including a three-spiked implement.
This artefact is manufactured from andesite or camptonite, probably of local origin, and is very finely worked. The surface is finely polished, but slight striations from grinding remain visible. The function of this artefact is not known.
For more information on Skara Brae, see CANMORE: https://canmore.org.uk/site/1663/skara-brae
L:91mm, B:65mm, T:65mm. W:491.1g.
This model was produced for a Leverhulme Trust funded project ‘Working stone, making communities: technology and identity on prehistoric Orkney’ Directed by Prof Mark Edmonds, University of York.
NMS X.HA 663. © National Museums Scotland.
Comments