TPO 33 task 1

The author states that the carved stone balls that found in Scotland might have been used for a specific purpose and he mentions three purposes for these stones. On the other hand, the professor argues that all the three purposes are not convincing.

First, the writer tells us that carved stone balls could be used for hunting or fighting weapons. In contrast, the speaker says that if these stones were used as weapons, they should have some signs like cracked or some broken pieces like arrows and other weapons. But these stones were well preserved. Thus he does not agree with this theory.

Second, the passage mentions that these stones could be used as a weight system because they have the same size. The professor, however, opposes this idea because the mass and density of stones are different. Some stones were made from sand, rocks, or other materials. She says that" a hand full of feather is not the same weight of a hand full of rocks." therefore these stones would not give precise weight measurements, so they cannot be used as a weight system.

Finally, the author suggests that these stones might be used as a social marker to show a personal status. In contrast, the speaker refutes this theory because some of these stones' designs are very simple. And to be used as a marker they should have some sophisticated designs. Also, in that time people usually buried possessions with their owners, but no one of these stones were found in tombs. This makes this theory unaccepted.