Carved Stone Balls (Petrospheres)

YAC Attack 137! Petrospheres

Petrospheres are carved stone balls that have nearly all been discovered in north-east Scotland, mainly in Aberdeenshire. However, several have been found in Orkney and some have been found on the Scottish islands of Skye, Iona, Lewis, Harris and Uist.

Some have also been uncovered in Ireland and England. Over 400 of the balls have been found, often uncovered on farmland.

Petrospheres is the name given to any round man-made object that is made of stone of any size. These strange but attractive objects are all around 4000 years old making them late Neolithic to Bronze Age. They tend to all be a similar size, about 70 mm in diameter, about as big as an orange or a tennis ball. This means that they are small enough to have been easily carried around.

Some are simple sphere shapes but most of them have a knobbly surface. Some only have small bumps and others have much larger carved bulges. A majority of the balls have 6 but some have as many as 160 lumps and bumps.

ACTIVITY: Find out more about these strange objects and make your own.

• Petrospheres Activity Sheet