Carved stone balls are a curious type of artifact found at a number of locations in Scotland. They date from the late Neolithic period, around 4,000 years ago. They are round in shape; they were carved from several types of stone; most are about 70 mm in diameter; and many are ornamented to some degree. Archaeologists do not agree about their purpose and meaning, but there are several theories.
One theory is that the carved stone balls were weapons used in hunting or fighting. Some of the stone balls have been found with holes in them, and many have grooves on the surface. It is possible that a cord was strung through the holes or laid in the grooves around the ball. Holding the stone balls at the end of the cord would have allowed a person to swing it around or throw it.
A second theory is that the carved stone balls were used as part of a primitive system of weights and measures. The fact that they are so nearly uniform in size – at 70 mm in diameter – suggests that the balls were interchangeable and represented some standard unit of measure. They could have been used as standard weights to measure quantities of grain or other food, or anything that needed to be measured by weight on a balance or scale for the purpose of trade.
A third theory is that the carved stone balls served a social purpose as opposed to a practical or utilitarian one. This view is supported by the fact that many stone balls have elaborate designs. The elaborate carving suggests that the stones may have marked the important social status of their owners.
Based on the given materials, The article as well as the lecture discusses the carved stone balls found in different sites in Scotland. The author states that they are all round in shape and were carved from different stone types but with precision their diameter and size and presents some of the possible usages for them. That being said, the lecturer provides several ideas to repudiate this claim.
Initially, the author says that they might had been used as weapons for hunting since the stones have a hole in it. However the lecturer explains that this idea is highly unlikely because some of the weapons such as arrows has wears which shows that they were used as weapons but the holes are undamaged. She mentions that if they were used for hunting or in wars, they should have had cracks or they were damaged.
Second, the writer proclaims that the artifacts were used as a criteria for measuring weight because they were the same size. Yet again the lecturer asserts that albeit they have the same size, the stones differ in their weights. She points out that the stones were made of different types of materials like sand and grains and as a result of difference in the density of the stones, the mass of the stones vary. So based on the different weights that they had, the stones could not be used for measuring weight.
The final point of contention between the listening and the reading passages is the social purpose of the stones. The author thinks that the stones showed how important was the person who owned it according to the marks on the stones. On the other hand, the speaker gives to different arguments about it. First she mentions that although the stones had some complex marks on them, some of them contained so simple marks that contradicts this idea. Second reason she mentions is that in the past people were buried with their possessions so at least some of the should have been found in temples but none of them were discovered in any graves.
| Post date | Users | Rates | Link to Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-10-02 | mahan vahab kashi | 76 | view |
| 2019-10-02 | mahan vahab kashi | 73 | view |
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Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 173, Rule ID: ADJECTIVE_IN_ATTRIBUTE[1]
Message: A more concise phrase may lose no meaning and sound more powerful.
Suggestion: round
...nd. The author states that they are all round in shape and were carved from different stone ty...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 287, Rule ID: SOME_OF_THE[1]
Message: Simply use 'some'.
Suggestion: some
...on their diameter and size and presents some of the possible usages for them. That being sa...
^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 117, Rule ID: SENT_START_CONJUNCTIVE_LINKING_ADVERB_COMMA[1]
Message: Did you forget a comma after a conjunctive/linking adverb?
Suggestion: However,
...ing since the stones have a hole in it. However the lecturer explains that this idea is...
^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 189, Rule ID: SOME_OF_THE[1]
Message: Simply use 'some'.
Suggestion: some
...at this idea is highly unlikely because some of the weapons such as arrows has wears which ...
^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 62, Rule ID: A_PLURAL[1]
Message: Don't use indefinite articles with plural words. Did you mean 'a criterion' or simply 'criteria'?
Suggestion: a criterion; criteria
...oclaims that the artifacts were used as a criteria for measuring weight because they were ...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 13, column 550, Rule ID: SOME_OF_THE[1]
Message: Simply use 'some'.
Suggestion: some
...ried with their possessions so at least some of the should have been found in temples but n...
^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
but, first, however, if, second, so, well, as to, at least, such as, as a result, as well as, on the other hand
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 19.0 10.4613686534 182% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 12.0 7.30242825607 164% => OK
Relative clauses : 16.0 12.0772626932 132% => OK
Pronoun: 40.0 22.412803532 178% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 41.0 30.3222958057 135% => OK
Nominalization: 2.0 5.01324503311 40% => More nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1642.0 1373.03311258 120% => OK
No of words: 349.0 270.72406181 129% => OK
Chars per words: 4.70487106017 5.08290768461 93% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.32221490584 4.04702891845 107% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.16315109654 2.5805825403 84% => OK
Unique words: 175.0 145.348785872 120% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.501432664756 0.540411800872 93% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 495.0 419.366225166 118% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.4 1.55342163355 90% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 4.0 3.25607064018 123% => OK
Article: 11.0 8.23620309051 134% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.25165562914 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 1.0 2.5761589404 39% => More preposition wanted as sentence beginning.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 15.0 13.0662251656 115% => OK
Sentence length: 23.0 21.2450331126 108% => OK
Sentence length SD: 39.0535814263 49.2860985944 79% => OK
Chars per sentence: 109.466666667 110.228320801 99% => OK
Words per sentence: 23.2666666667 21.698381199 107% => OK
Discourse Markers: 7.4 7.06452816374 105% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 6.0 4.19205298013 143% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 4.0 4.33554083885 92% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 5.0 4.45695364238 112% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 6.0 4.27373068433 140% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.275569858877 0.272083759551 101% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0957205522517 0.0996497079465 96% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0714717611504 0.0662205650399 108% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.179153622622 0.162205337803 110% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0781485266861 0.0443174109184 176% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.3 13.3589403974 92% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 65.05 53.8541721854 121% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.9 11.0289183223 90% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 10.28 12.2367328918 84% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.9 8.42419426049 94% => OK
difficult_words: 69.0 63.6247240618 108% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 10.5 10.7273730684 98% => OK
gunning_fog: 11.2 10.498013245 107% => OK
text_standard: 11.0 11.2008830022 98% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Write the essay in 20 minutes.
Rates: 76.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 23.0 Out of 30
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.