Professor Marcus Du Sautoy: Were these stone balls made by ancient mathematicians?

We still do not know why these stone balls were created. They date to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, and were made between 3200 and 1500 BC of various types of rock, such as sandstone and granite. Could they have been made by ancient mathematicians?
Professor Marcus Du Sautoy is Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford.
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[@hughwark5291]

Neolithic woman said to her partner "make me some loom weights for weaving" and he got carried away with the task on a series of boring winter nights.

[@islandmonusvi]

The purpose was to help braid fibers ...

[@tweedtango8941]

In Argentina, gauchos have 'boleadoras' 2 stones like that, covered in hide, held together by weaved hide. One can throw them at distance in a (skilled) way that can stop a running person or animal. Mostly used to hunt. They come from the natives. I think the Pitt Rivers have some. These look like they could be a Scottish version 😉

[@artandculture5262]

Seem like weights for standardized measurement.

[@LadyBodarche]

They look like weapons to me - the indentations being for the leather to hold securely
. However, there isn't enough shown to be really clear.

[@sanmarzano]

I agree...possibly bolero weights.