TPO 33 integrated writing

The reading and the lecture are both about the purpose and meaning of carved stone balls found in Scotland. Whereas the author of the reading indicates three hypotheses of the usage of these balls, the lecturer refutes all these theories. The lecture casts doubts on the main points of the reading by providing three reasons.

To begin with, according to the reading, the carved balls could have been used as weapons in hunting or finghting since there were holes in them which allowed a person to swing it around or throw it. However, the lecturer disputes this point. She says that if they have been used this way, there should have been signs of wear. She further mentions that these ball were well preserved and not cracked.

Secondly, the reading states that the carved balls were used as part of a primitive system of weights and measures, since they are uniform in size. Nevertheless, the lecturer refutes this argument. She argues that althought they might have stardard size, their masses were different because they were made of different kinds of stones of variable density, so they were not suitable for measuring the weight of anything.

Thirdly, the reading claims that the carved balls might have been of social use, indicating the important social status of their owners. On the other hand, the lecturer thinks that this could not be true because although there might be some designs, most of them were simple and they were not present in the tombs of ancient people. Therefore, they could not have been of social values.