The Towie ball is a Neolithic object found in Aberdeenshire, dating back to over 5000 years ago. It is carved from black stone with four discs, three of which are decorated, weighing 500g (1.1 lbs) and having a diameter of 73mm (2.87 inches). It is one of over 430 similar artifacts found, mostly in Aberdeenshire. The sphere was discovered in 1860 during an excavation on Glaschul Hill and acquired by the National Museum of Scotland.
From the photos and the museum’s official description of “black stone,” it appears to be perfectly polished basalt, meaning hardness 6-7 on the Mohs scale; thus, we are once again dealing with fine workmanship on a very hard stone.
On this page of the National Museum of Scotland, you can view beautiful photos of the sphere. Additionally, this article provides a broader overview.
The image is included for essential editorial purposes, but in low resolution to respect the copyrights – Image © National Museums Scotland