Stone balls show up across the Neolithic Levant too — plenty at Salat-Kamhiyani and Çayönü in Hakkari, though published photos show irregular lumps, not spheres like Tell 'Abr 3. At Tell el-Kerkh, limestone balls appeared in burials: one 14 cm ball lay directly above a small cremation pit with burnt soil and ash and no grave goods, thought to be an offering. Another sat beneath stones in a six-person burial — though that link may be accidental. ⚰️🪨
Limestone balls found in Levantine Neolithic burials at Salat-Kamhiyani and Tell el-Kerkh
Site mentioned
📍 Tell el-Kerkh
Key facts
- Stone balls are reported from Neolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites in the Levant dating to between the 10th and 7th millennia BC
- Large quantities of stone balls have been found at sites such as Salat-Kamhiyani and Hakkari's Çayönü, but published photographs show they are not perfect spheres like those from Tell 'Abr 3
- At some sites, including Tell el-Kerkh, which dates from Pre-Pottery Neolithic B to the Middle Pottery Neolithic, limestone balls were found associated with burials
- One ball from Tell el-Kerkh measured 14 cm in diameter and was found directly above a small rectangular cremation pit containing bones, burnt soil and ash with no grave goods
- Researchers suggested that ball was dedicated to the individuals cremated in the pit, perhaps as an offering or to mark the grave after cremation
- A second primary burial at Tell el-Kerkh consisted of a square stone structure holding the remains of six people, with a round stone ball discovered beneath the western row of stones
- The video cautions that the association of these balls with burials may be accidental or secondary given their position
Sources
Neolithic Pottery with Horizontal Applied Bands from Tell el ...academia.edu
This paper investigates the function and transformation of these horizontal applied bands at Tell el-Kerkh, revealing that these changes correspond with ...
Costa Rica's Stone Spheres at Finca 6: UNESCO Mystery ...vamosrentacar.com
Over 300 perfectly round stone balls scattered across southern Costa Rica, some weighing up to 16 tons,remain one of archaeology's most ...
(PDF) Tell el-Kerkh as a Neolithic Mega Siteresearchgate.net
My focus is the site named Tell el-Kerkh, a Neolithic mega site in the Rouj Basin. After detailed investigation of the excavation results and ...
4.5.3.4 Carved Stone Ballsscarf.scot
Carved Stone Balls from the Late Neolithic are very rare in south-east Scotland. According to the most up-to-date catalogue , just five examples are known ...
Stone spheres of Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org
The stone spheres of Costa Rica are an assortment of over 300 petrospheres in Costa Rica, on the Diquís Delta and on Isla del Caño.
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