How To Make A Carved Stone Ball | Stone Age Technology
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2018
- Discover more about 'Making Connections: Stonehenge in its Prehistoric World' an exhibition that runs from 12 October 2018 until 21 April 2019: bit.ly/2QRzFDb
Watch James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK) as he recreates a Carved Stone Ball using the same techiniques and methods as stone workers from the late Neolithic era.
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Humans: *Spend hours creating an aluminium foil ball for fun*
Ancient Humans: *Do the same but with stone*
Humans: "Why could they possibly have done that???"
SOOOO TRUEEEEE
lol it's just a time waste because they bored af and it's their only fidget spinner
@@komakon Best comment so far haha
I was thinking Rubberband/Gummy Ball, Dice, Marble, Crochet (Scotland is the home of golf), Or Rope Monkeys Fist. The later has a use in Sailing. I would like to know if they only were found in Scotland where do the majority of the stones come from? Coast, Highlands, Fields, Creeks, Etc. If you are going to use a stone for something usually it has to do with where you picked it up from.
Mobin92, Yep my first thought was that it was a craft for the sake of it. Even though life was harder (I guess) back then, I'm sure there was A LOT of time stuck in the hut during snow or rain storms and since they didn't have paper and pens, they doodled neolithically. They didn't have cameras either so maybe these kept track of the family in much the same way photo albums do today.
I think its neat someone can actually make something out of beating two rocks together, only thing I ever get from that is sore fingers.
MrAnimepredator and a sore arm from being a wanker.
Chances are the first time one of them did do it their fingers were probably sore but eventually the skin on the fingers would’ve toughened, go leathery
James Dilley, the guy making the stone balls, does courses in flint knapping and bronze casting at a place not far from Stonehenge called Berrycroft Hub. I went to one of their bronze age axe casting sessions and can attest that he is a nice guy and very knowledgeable, and recommend the courses to anyone in the area or visiting.
He's got a TH-cam channel now too, @AncientCraftUK
Maybe they were made as a sort of apprenticeship? A way for young carvers to build the strength/stamina and attention to detail needed for carving more important items without working bad habits into their craft and losing generations of skill.
Wow, what an interesting theory. It could be. Whoever built Stonehenge must have been very well prepared.
Yours is a better theory than the ones presented in the video, in my opinion.
what if stone balls were used to represent how skilled of a stone mason you were? the smooth discs of someone highly skilled to get the precision needed and rounded knobs were for those practicing or of the lower skilled
Holy shit and they placed it in front of the shop to show off their skills, almost as a grade or tier of expertise to backup the pricing of their work.... mind blown
Could be True, they would have presented it to the employers and the higher class to employ them in stone work of their home or something
aman monu or could have been a form of ancestral worship device as the gaggeristic people had similar objects
@@zombiejaba3935 I wish there was more information on gaggerhism.
It would be a nice resume for sure!
Neolithic Orlando Bloom carving Neolithic stone ball.
atomixfang omg you’re right
“Oh, hello. Me Glog, head stone carver at Urgley End House. Me just gathering rocks to bang into stone balls for Lord and Lady Oog-boog.”
it looks to me like some sort of neolithic stone portfolio, something that the stone worker would carry around to show what stone carving techniques he (or she?) could do it.
very amazing video :D
Lucano Lobo I was thinking along the same lines.
haha don't know if the pun was intended, but i laught :D
It was unintentional but I'll happily take the laugh! I love puns too :D
@Bob Bobbertson thank you :3
Had the same thought
In which we learn Stone Age man was pretty cute!
It looks more like a sampler, showing off ones skills that can be applied in other ways yet still easy to carry. A craft resume if you will.
Cool idea!
Like a portfolio of sorts? As a professional designer, I find that wonderful.
yet another thing I never knew existed but now want.
Coming to an Etsy store near you 😉
This video is really relaxing and educational
i'm exhausted just thinking about how long making one of these would take
How long has that fellow been waiting to say, "There are as many theories as there are carved stone balls!" Great video.
It's crazy to me that these pieces probably held not just an artistic/spiritual value, but helped developed the complexity of the minds of our earlier ancestors. The ability to conceptualize and learn through craft is something that set humans far apart from other species.
just wanna say, that dudes hair is beautiful
I met James dilly yesterday (19 October) he was teaching me Flint knaping!
Lubing dry stuff using saliva.. timeless skill
He used water, but I agree that that would be a timeless skill.
@@yasmin7903 3:45
What?
@@friedtofu4568 you're right!
The way he licked his fingers
@@ChubbyBunnyPrincess calm thine thighs
You didn't tell us how long it took to replicate that ball. Considering the commentary I had this humorous image of Mr. Dilley being grayer and more wrinkled at the end of the video.
ancilodon Was already going grey at the start! The facial hair also manages itself while I’m working
So you're saying that the archaeologists aren't smart enough to think of that
They probably didn't replicate it. The stone he took out of the water is definitely not the one he made before. I think they just wanted to roughly show how could be done as a proof of concept.
@@Tempelge1st You are more or less right. If that is the same stone, it was not made entirely with stone age processes. See my extended comment. Proof of concept, except that if you don't do it for real, you aren't forced to come up with techniques that work well enough to be efficient.
It took 10 minutes
what this reminds me of is how machinists will make one of those steel blocks with a bunch of holes in it in order to graduate from machinists school. lol
This could have been something the stoneworkers did as a way to teach and have their students or trainiees practice. and then after making a few of these the master stoneworker might look at it and finally say "Yes, your now a master stoneworker." and their training is done.
I've never heard of those orbs before. They're beautiful. Thank you for teaching me something new.
They are perfect density and size for boiling stones. Before people had no iron pots to heat soup so they heated those boiling stones in the fire then dropped them in vessels to cook soup.
I wonder if sometimes we might be thinking too hard about what our anchestors did. Like yeah, they made a neat little ball, but does it have to hold any meaning? Don't get me wrong, it could be a very important piece of history, but it could also just be a bunch of Scotts thinking it to be fun to make a ball with lines on them.
Like that one cave/mountain painting researchers tried so hard to translate and it turned out that some cavemen made some graffiti saying 'I was here'
Janice O.o yeah I think it was just apart of a game since a lot didn't have decoration. The ones that didn't have decoration were just made in a hurry for that game. The ones that did have decoration were probably just made by people who got bored and decide to put some decoration on it.
Janice O.o well the idea that the ball is insignificant is one theory, but it’s only one theory out of dozens. However Usually when something is made multiple times over a cultural, there is usually some sort of significance. If not why waste the time and effort on a modestly time consuming product?
@@midshipman8654 See Fidget Spiners
Andrew Wolf well, fidget spinners have a use: fun/entertainment.
Day to day life back then was hard and laboursome. If someone set this much time and effort aside to do something, it stands to reason it held some real meaning. In the time you make one of these stone balls, you could make a grass mattress, a multitude of sandals, baskets, pots, etc.
Think of the opportunity cost one of these balls represents - would someone whose day-to-day survival was somewhat uncertain really invest so much into something meaningless?
By looking at how it turned out, I think it is simply amazing that he carved the ball using only another stone, what a skill!
That's kind of a cool video, but the ball was not made entirely with stone age processes. Infotainment I think is the word. I can offer a few tips for those who might actually want to do something like this. I've spent a lot of time pecking, grinding and grooving and I put Primitive Technologist on my tax returns, and all other forms, as my profession for years. I've also taught and demonstrated these skills professionally. Just sayin' I have some credentials :) First, note that they keep saying it might take decades, but he finishes it. That's because they don't know how long it takes because they didn't do it old school. There are numerous frames where there are obvious power grinder marks made between the steps shown. For those wondering, working time would depend on the hardness and working character of the stone and of the stone tools, and the skill and experience of the worker. For instance, abundant hard quartz sand would help a lot in grinding. Cultures made incredible stone artifacts from much harder stone, such as jade, so these are cool, but they don't need to take decades. The problem with cheating is that you are not forced to develop effective techniques. The it took decades thing is probably just this guy's pet theory that he's presenting as a truth. The problem for a modern person doing this is that if you try to do too much without breaks, then you end up with tendonitis. Been there done that. The application of the techniques don't look as effective as they could be. The level of commitment to authenticity can be seen in the wood pile at 00:19 sec where all the wood is cut with a saw that didn't exist at the time. Some tips:
First, spend hours looking for a rock that will save you even more hours of pecking away unwanted stone. You might not find it, but it's worth a shot and walking around in creeks is funner than hitting a rock with another rock.
For pecking, it really helps to have a sharper point. The trouble is that the point will not be maintained, because the stone on the pecker is always chipping away a little too, even if it's harder than the pecked object. I've used quartzite a lot, as well as very hardflint, and I will just break it once in a while in order to make a smaller surface on the point to peck with. The pecker should really be considerably harder and tougher than the peckee.
For grinding, It really, really goes a lot faster if you add loose sand to the grinding slab with water. Also, sitting with the thing in your lap like that and slowly and gently rubbing it is not going to get you anywhere fast. That might actually take decades lol. I would set up a slab like that on the ground and go to town with sand and water. Same with grinding in between the grooves. Water helps and I imagine I would probably choose to do a lot of that on the edge of a slab set up on the ground. It pays to pick your grits if you can. Start with a very coarse grit that will rip off material fast, then go to a grit that will polish it. Sometimes there is no choice and you use what is available, but a person with a stone age mindset is always on the lookout for something like rocks with different grits.
so you know those polished aluminium balls everyone was making for a few months? Yeah.
I wonder if this was something done as a stone tool worker's equivalent of whittling, something done while thinking or such in their spare time.
That's what I'm thinking. I don't think it had a practical use.
I love English Heritage videos. Thank you! You make learning a calm and engaging experience
I would have liked to see more than just one example of an original carved stone ball.
Thank you English Heritage...
As each post is seen im learning what i can pass along
as well share with friends and family..
I love your videos! They are educational, but at the same time peaceful (one could say even relaxing) and really pleasing to the eye. Good to see youtube still offers a platform for content that is worth watching
I cannot begin to fathom how much hard work goes into shaping those objects.
On the other hand it's quite easy to realise how handsome the gentleman is who does all that gruelling stone-work
Its amazing to see how far along we've come. from using stones to make something amazing as that to making machines to make stone balls in lesser time.
I'm just glad they're showing us how it was done using stones to create a stone ball so this technique isnt lost forever.
I truly love this channel.
How to Make a Carved Stone Ball
STEP 1: Smash one rock into another until it's in the shape of a ball
STEP 2: Admire your craftsmanship
Wow...just WOW! Fascinating! Thank you for sharing-now I want to learn how to carve rocks!
THIS IS ACTUAL QUALITY CONTENT. Thaaaaank you.
I think people might be overthinking what these balls could mean. They could simply just be art, something symmetrical, satisfying to look at. Many people make art today and spend a good amount of time on it just like these balls. I wonder what future civilisations will think of our sculptures and art, seeing the name of the artist on the pedestal could become a name of a deity we would have worshipped.
winter pastime
What if it's just a rite of passage for an aspiring stoneworker like carving a woodspirit, forging a leaf or learning 'Smoke on the Water' on guitar?
The craft makes him hotter
I had no idea that such things even existed! What an interesting process, so simple but with so much intent behind it.
Dr Dilley is brilliant!
Wonderful. Stone work is amazing.
It's actually funny how different the ball was when he pulled it out of the water. It's almost like he didn't actually make that one.
fascinating. I wonder why they made them. I guess it will remain a mystery.
Heritage for sure. I love this
This is such a satisfying thing, it's so primitive and yet sophisticated. I wonder if there is a primitive way to make progressively finer sieves to perhaps produce some kind of graded polishing compounds. Maybe these once had a much glossier finish that has been lost over the ages. Certainly millenia later, but I know that once the bronze age came around, in the middle east people were polishing bronze into mirrors!
That is skill and great technique. These are priceless treasures
Brilliant, thank you so much for this video.
The carving dude is defs stone age salt bae.
This tech is a little too advanced for my tastes. I was born in the wrong epoch.
it seems to be like one of those zen things to teach the inpatient
Perhaps it was the equivalent of a journeyman qualification for stoneworking apprentices. You make it as proof you have the patience to do so, the technical skills to make it, and so that you can learn how the stone acts and breaks.
Seems like a nice object to put energies in if you catch my meaning, it also looks fun as tedious as it seems the sound of the stones makes up for it, relaxing
Why is it we always need to invent some sort of fantastic theory for things we find from ancient times. This was the beginning of the Neolithic era a time of settling a time for farming people are starting to stay in one place. It’s a decoration for their homes.
Saw some at scara brea...beautiful work and mysterious!
Fantastic vid 😍❤❤❤
I would like to know how long it took to make the new ball. I have a friend who makes arrowheads and other ancient rock items.
He didn't make it with just stone age techniques and tools, so it's not relevant. Notice that they keep saying it might take decades, but he finishes it. Also, there are marks on it at various points that are obviously from a power grinder.
@@SkillCult They also used to say that making a polished stone axe head took a lifetime, maybe generations. With only neolithic tools, most experimental archaeologists can bang one out in a week.
@@hollyingraham3980 Yeah, I've made a couple of those out of greenstonel. It's time consuming for sure and that kind of work can cause repetitive stress injuries if you do it too fast, but it doesn't take forever. Some stuff people made really must have taken quite a long time, like fancy things made from Jade and other even harder stone. I think we are entering an age where interpreters and archaeologists are more experimental and more committed to doing things from scratch, which is how it should be. Some of my teachers in this stuff were archaeologists, others were consulted by archaeologists. More observations in my comment further down the thread.
If I was to hazzard a guess at what this was used for I would think all the work involved it would not be a toy or object with an abstract use. I would think it was used as a weapon. It would make a devasting flail if you bound it with a celtic knot. The edges would secure the leather material around the stone. You can look up Celtic Slammer for a modern example of what I am describing and how it is tied. Just my observation.
Maybe they were used to play a game of lawn pétanque, we still put lines on lawn bowls today. Impact dimples from two of them hitting each other could prove that, with foreign material ingrained after hitting.
I think these were weapons, very similar to a flail. Instead of a pointed iron ball on the end of a chain, a carved stone tied with some sort of rope or twine, possibly even leather strapping.
Fascinating! I have always loved these. Thankyou! EH.🎃🇬🇧🔨🔮
I wish I could see this exhibit! I'm from Michigan.
Lindo de aprender! Da forma que o vídeo é transmitido tão didático, parece até possível para nós fazermos uma esfera de pedra semelhante.
i think they were used to remember fallen family or friends as a kind of momento so you can look at the ball and see the memories of said person
Amazing the things you can do when you don't have TH-cam to distract you
Watching this makes me really appreciate my rock tumbler and diamond burrs.
We don't know what they were for...Maybe they had some time between supper and bedtime and there wasn't anything on TV so they were bored and just made them? The first guy that made one showed it to his friend and that friend thought it was cool and a fad started?
Could be. Although I think it more probable that they were carved in long, harsh winters as a mean to kill time, as there were not much to do other than staying in the house for warmth back in the stone age.
ok, now I want one
Our ancestors really knew how to handle their balls.
I guess when you have a ton of free time with no TV or internet distractions it makes a lot more sense who they were able to do this.
Balls with knobs, a classic in english history.
The balls have a sticking resembles to a presser point ball with nobs resembling those one a foam roller. That can explain why they are fond near stone building sites there they do allot back breaking work.
Fascinating. :)
The carved stone balls remind me vaguely of a Roman dodecahedron, at least in shape. Perhaps they were a precursor since no one seems to know what purpose either object served.
They were creating something of value in their spare time, something they could trade for.
The more complex the greater trading value.
The guy's chiseled
I think the archaeologist is overthinking it. The stone balls were probably something some people did when they were bored sitting around the campfire to pass the time.
to me it looks somewhat like a dice
Along the Lane if all the sides were different I’d agree. Maybe they painted each knob a different color.
It's really impressive to look at this ! Thanks for making this video !
I'm really no scientist, but could it have just been made to do something pretty that kept them busy during long winters (for example) ? Maybe it really has a huge signification, but maybe hobbies were already something in neolithic ? I mean, why does something always has to have a practical use ?
Or, using a crappy embroidery comparison, maybe it was like middle esat embroideries, where each clan, each family, or even each person had a personnal embroidery, that the woman brought with them as the marry. Maybe those carved balls had the same goals ?
I repeat I'm no specialist but it's the first thing who came to me so I thought I could share them.... That or it's the ancestor of pétanque balls (that's a game in south France ^^) !
Amaziiinng 😁
im going to make a stone sphere someday soon because that would be cool, i would be the only one with a stone sphere that wasnt made by a machine in my area.
ok, i heard the term "carved stone ball" enough to last me for the rest of my life time. rather interesting object though, with an even more interesting process to its creation.
Interesting. That was hard labor!
Clearly, this is an example of early toy manufacturing. The guys in Salisbury were tasked with making the skittles - and the scots were to make the balls. It just turned out that the chaps in Salisbury built the skittles way too big because they were given the wrong instructions - which is just typical. In the end, they figured it was easier to call it a henge and give up on the idea of toy making - and the scots decided to keep their balls.
Maybe it's art. How novel it would be to have a manufactured simple form. In other words they probably thought it looked cool. Why WOULDN'T you want a carved stone ball? Could be for some kind of religion too, but I feel like that's always the go to for stuff we can't explain.
i love british accent, hope someday will visit london, love from indonesia
Rizal Ramadhan there’s more to Britain than just london. London has the tourist traps, Big Ben and the Tower of London etc, but you’d be a fool to come to the uk and miss the likes of Bath or York, the Lake District or Edinburgh . You can sleep over at Warwick castle, Visit Liverpool and enjoy live music at the Cavern Club where The Beatles first sang, take a train to the top of a mountain in Wales and visit a whisky distillery in Scotland. Britain is not London, and London is most definitely *not* Britain.
@@JulieWallis1963 well,thank you, nice info, i'll gather the information, and try to be there soon
Great, thanks youtube, now I gotta find me two good rocks.
That shape would be pretty good if you want to tie a rope around it and swing it around like a flail. Got grooves in it too so it makes good contact, and it looks cool.
is it crazy to think that this stones were used as weapons? im picturing a chained mace but instead of using a metal chain, some rope?
This is what's gonna happen when aliens visit and discover a fidget spinner.
I think we skipped a step. How would you go about just smashing two stones so that one is turned into a sphere?
That was fucking magic
how far we have come
Maybe it was simply a work of art that someone made while the weather was bad and it turned out to be a high trade value so one person made many of them.
Wow.
What if these were the neolithic equivalent of fidgit spinners?
Ah the Pictii, the early years, ken?
Can you get plant nutrients from rocks when you grind them down, is there minerals that can be used as fertilizer?
I think it's for playing a game like the modern European game played with balls on a lawn, ? lawn bowling ?. The lines and bumps would make it easier grip and spin when you throw it.