Stone ball, Cree Moss, Penningham

This object from the collection of Dr Grierson has presented archaeologists with a yet to be solved mystery. A round stone carved so that it has six circular projecting surfaces, it is perhaps a "magical" object, representing a female form. It was found in a bed of gravel exposed by the peat removal in the Moss of Cree, Penningham.   Carved stone balls are found almost exclusively in Scotland, but they possess no clear function, although they may be associated with funerary sites. They do not appear to have been exchanged over long distances as most are made of locally available stone. Perhaps they were hereditary items, passed on from one generation to another, or carried as status symbols, or missiles designed to be thrown from a thong, or part of a game for which we will never know the rules?