TPO 33: CARVED STONE BALLSReading: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

Essay topics:

TPO 33: CARVED STONE BALLS

Reading:

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.

Listening:

Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.

female professor
None of the three theories presented in the reading passage are very convincing.

First, the stone balls as hunting weapons, common Neolithic weapons such as arrowheads and hand axes generally show signs of wear, so we should expect that if the stone balls had been used as weapons for hunting of fighting, they, too, would show signs of that use. Many of the stone balls would be cracked or have pieces broken off. However, the surfaces of the balls are generally well preserved, showing little or no wear or damage.

Second, the carved stone balls maybe remarkably uniform in size, but their masses vary too considerably to have been used as uniform weights. This is because the stone balls were made with different types of stone including sandstone, green stone and quartzite. Each type of stone has a different density. Some types of stone are heavier than others just as a handful of feathers weight less than a handful of rocks.Two balls of the same size are different weights depending on the type of stone they are made of. Therefore, the balls could not have been used as a primitive weighing system.

Third, it’s unlikely that the main purpose of the balls was as some kind of social marker. A couple of facts are inconsistent with this theory. For one thing, while some of the balls are carved with intricate patterns, many others have markings that are extremely simple, too simple to make the balls look like status symbols. Furthermore, we know that in Neolithic Britain, when someone died, particularly a high-ranking person, they were usually buried with their possessions. However, none of the carved stone balls have been actually found in tombs or graves. That makes it unlikely that the balls were personal possessions that marked a person’s status within the community.

Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenged the specific theories presented in the reading passage.

In the reading passage, the author proposed three possible theories to explain the usage and meaning of ancient carved stone balls found in Scotland. Nevertheless, the lecturer disagreed with these theories for several reasons.

First, while the author maintained that the carved stone balls could be weapons for ancient people, the lecturer considered this inconvincing. If those stones were equipments used in fighting or killing animals, like the arrow heads or axes commonly used in Neolithic period, there would have been some marks or prints on the stones, and it was possible to find the stones in broken pieces too. However, none of the evidence shows the characteristics mentioned above. So this theory is unlikely to be true.

Second, the author stated that perhaps these stone balls were used as a tool of measurement. Yet the lecturer argued that according to the archeological finding, the stone balls vary in quantity. They are made of stones of different density. For example, they are consisted of sand stones, green stones, and so on. This contribute to the different masses despite of the same volume they have. Owing to this, they are probably not used in weighing things.

Third, eventhough the author claimed that the stone balls may serve as an symbol of social status of a particular person, the lecturer doubted this because the patterns on the stones are too simple. If this theory was true, the carvings on the stone balls should be much more complicated. Moreover, ancient British people liked to bury the dead people along with their personal pocessions. But archeologists haven't found any carved stone balls in tumbs or graves. Therefore, the lecturer didn't believe in this theory.

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This contribute to the different masses
This contributes to the different masses

Sentence: First, while the author maintained that the carved stone balls could be weapons for ancient people, the lecturer considered this inconvincing.
Error: inconvincing Suggestion: No alternate word

Sentence: Third, eventhough the author claimed that the stone balls may serve as an symbol of social status of a particular person, the lecturer doubted this because the patterns on the stones are too simple.
Error: eventhough Suggestion: No alternate word

Sentence: Moreover, ancient British people liked to bury the dead people along with their personal pocessions.
Error: pocessions Suggestion: procession

Sentence: But archeologists haven't found any carved stone balls in tumbs or graves.
Error: tumbs Suggestion: No alternate word

Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 25 in 30
Category: Very Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 1 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 4 2
No. of Sentences: 17 12
No. of Words: 282 250
No. of Characters: 1392 1200
No. of Different Words: 160 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.098 4.2
Average Word Length: 4.936 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.472 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 104 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 67 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 44 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 22 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 16.588 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 9.549 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.706 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.308 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.49 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.038 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 4