There used to be a lot of debate about how old they were - some people thought they were

曾經有很多關於他們的年齡的爭論--有些人認為他們是

Bronze Age, many people thought they were Iron Age and some people even thought they

青銅時代，很多人認為是鐵器時代，甚至有人認為是

were early Christian. But it was only with Radiocarbon Dating of sites like Skara Brae

是早期的基督教徒。但只有通過對Skara Brae等遺址的放射性碳化物測定

that we realised that these were in fact Neolithic objects.

我們意識到這些其實是新石器時代的物品。

To make a Carved Stone Ball you don't need very many techniques and they are techniques

做一個石雕球，你不需要太多的技術，它們是技術

that most Neolithic stone workers would be very familiar with. Sort of pecking and grinding.

大多數新石器時代的石工都會非常熟悉。算是啄磨吧。

But the actual process requires quite a few stages to go through.

但實際過程需要經歷不少階段。

At the start you have to take a raw lump of material - it might be a beach cobble, it

一開始，你必須拿一塊原始的材料--它可能是一塊海灘鵝卵石，它可能是一塊石頭。

might be a lump of raw rock - and peck that into a sphere.

可能是一塊原石--然後把它啄成一個球體。

One of the biggest mysteries around Carved Stone Balls is what they were actually used

雕花石球最大的謎團之一就是它們到底是用來幹什麼的？

for. Over the last 200 years there have been almost as many theories about how they were

為。在過去的200年裡，關於它們是如何被發現的，有幾乎同樣多的理論。

used as there are Carved Stone Balls. Were they used for divination? Were they part of

用的，因為有雕花石球。它們是用來占卜的嗎？它們是

a game? Some people have suggested weights, but that theory didn't hold much water because

一個遊戲？有人提出過權重，但這個理論並不靠譜，因為。

they weigh a huge range of different weights.

它們的重量有很大的範圍，不同的重量。

More recently we've seen all sorts of suggestions that they somehow relate to mathematics, representations

最近，我們看到了各種各樣的建議，他們以某種方式與數學、表徵有關。

of platonic solids. We see them suggested that they could be memory devices as well,

的柏拉圖固體。我們看到他們提出，他們也可以是記憶裝置。

things that hold stories within them - so that as you tell the story you rotate it and

蘊藏著故事的東西--所以當你講故事的時候，你會旋轉它，並且

the lines and the nobbles on the surface help you recount that oral history of your society.

線和表面上的貴族幫助你敘述你們社會的口述歷史。

So there are many different explanations for these objects and the truth is it could be

所以這些物體有很多不同的解釋，事實是它可能是

any one of them.

其中任何一個。

Today we've been making a replica Carved Stone Ball. This is a type of object that comes

今天我們就來製作一個仿製的雕花石球。這是一種來

from Scotland. And usually found in sites that are dated to the late Neolithic, so the

來自蘇格蘭。而且通常發現於新石器時代晚期的遺址中，所以在

same time that Stonehenge is being built. But these are not objects that are found here

同時，巨石陣也在建造中。但這些都不是在這裡發現的東西

at Stonehenge, they only have a distribution in Scotland. But what he's making for us is

在巨石陣，他們只在蘇格蘭有分佈。但他給我們做的是

showing the techniques and the tools and the artwork and decoration that links this Carved

展示了技術、工具、藝術品和裝飾品，將這一雕刻的

Stone Ball to all the other parts of Britain at that time.

石球到當時英國的其他所有地區。

As a second stage you have to grind that to make it a smoother surface. In Orkney a number

作為第二階段，你必須研磨，使其表面更光滑。在奧克尼，一些

have actually been found in Neolithic context, at Skara Brae they were found on the floor

實際上是在新石器時代的背景下發現的，在Skara Brae，它們是在地板上發現的。

of Neolithic buildings which dates them very firmly to the late Neolithic. Recently in

的新石器時代建築，將它們的年代非常確定地確定為新石器時代晚期。最近在

2013 one was found at the Ness of Brogdar buried under one of the buttresses within

2013年，在布羅格達的尼斯發現了一個埋在其中一個堡壘下的人。

one of the buildings, one of the largest buildings onsite.

其中一棟，是現場最大的建築之一。

The Carved Stone Ball sits in part of the exhibition that talks about the late Neolithic,

雕花石球坐在展覽的一部分，講的是新石器時代晚期。

so the time Stonehenge is being built. At this particular time we have types of pottery,

所以巨石陣的建造時間。在這個特殊時期，我們有類型的陶器。

types of objects and styles of building monuments that are really only found in the British

真正只有在英國才有的建築古蹟的種類和風格。

Isle. They are not found at all on continental Europe. This is a time when people are making

島。歐洲大陸上根本就沒有它們的身影。這時候，人們正在使

Grooved Ware Pottery that is found all across the British Isle. But they are also doing

溝紋器皿陶器，在英倫島各地都有。但他們也在做

regional things, so Carved Stone Balls in particular are only found really in a small

地區性的東西，所以特別是雕花石球，真正發現的只有在小

part of Scotland. So they've got shared ideas, shared religious ideas, building similar types

蘇格蘭的一部分。所以他們有共同的想法，共同的宗教理念，建立類似的類型。

of monuments such as stone circles, but there are also still regional traditions and regional

石圈等古蹟的，但也仍有地區傳統和地區性的

trends.

趨勢。

Now the next stage is marking out the individual knobs on the surface. Here you have to make

現在下一階段是在表面上標出各個旋鈕。在這裡你必須做

a choice about what sort of Carved Stone Ball you're going to make. Most Carved Stone Balls

雕花石球的選擇，你要做什麼樣的雕花石球。大多數石雕球

will have 6 symmetrical knobs, but they come in a wide range of different sizes, different

將有6個對稱的旋鈕，但它們有各種不同的尺寸，不同的尺寸，不同的尺寸。

shapes, from having as few as 3 knobs to having over 200 knobs.

形狀，從只有3個旋鈕到超過200個旋鈕。

So once you've marked out your knobs you can begin to peck around those areas and actually

所以，一旦你標出了你的旋鈕，你就可以開始在這些地方啄食，並實際

define the shape of your Carved Stone Ball. And you can keep working it until those knobs

定義你的石雕球的形狀。你可以繼續工作，直到那些旋鈕。

are quite different shapes, some Carved Stone Balls have very shallow flat discs, other

形狀很不一樣，有的石雕球有很淺的平盤，有的則是

ones have quite deep, rounded knobs. So you have a lot of working to do with pecking,

有相當深的圓形旋鈕。所以，你有很多工作要做，啄木鳥。

very delicate working on that surface.

在該表面上進行非常精細的工作。

This was something that stone workers potentially did over series of years, potentially generations

這是石工們多年來可能做的事情，可能是幾代人的事情。

as you pass these balls from one generation to the other people might have added to the

當你把這些球從一代傳給另一代人時，人們可能已經把它加到了一起

design, reworked them, enhanced them in different ways. You realise it was a time consuming

設計，對它們進行重新加工，以不同的方式增強它們。你意識到這是一個耗時的

process but something that the individual stone worker was really engaging with and

的過程，但個別石材工人卻真正參與其中，並。

something that with each successive generation these objects became of more significance

每一代人，這些東西都會變得更加重要

to the actual person who held them and the person who was working them. A treasured biographies

到實際的持有它們的人和正在工作的人。一本珍貴的傳記

of those generations that have passed before you.

的那些前輩們。

Seeing someone actually make one of these objects and being able to handle a replica

看到有人真的做了一個這樣的東西，並且能夠處理一個複製品。

in your hands gives you a much better insight into how special and how much time and energy

在你的手中，可以讓你更清楚地瞭解到你有多特別，有多少時間和精力。

went into making these particular items. We're showing some really precious objects here

進入製作這些特殊的項目。我們正在展示一些非常珍貴的物品

in the exhibition and they've been polished for hours on end, or they've been carefully

在展覽中，它們已經被連續打磨了幾個小時，或者它們已經被仔細的

constructed from really thin pieces of sheet gold, or cast in bronze and seeing an insight

薄薄的金片，或青銅鑄成的，看到的是一個洞見

into that craftsmanship and the amount of skill and techniques that people had is really

人們的技術和技巧的數量是真的。

eye opening and it brings a whole new dimension to seeing the actual objects.

開闊了眼界，給看實物帶來了一個全新的維度。

Once you've achieved the basic shape you then have to return to grinding it again, and again

一旦你達到了基本的形狀，你就必須返回來再磨，再磨。

very difficult to sort of grind into all those crevices, but you'd probably take a very small

要把這些縫隙磨碎是非常困難的，但你可能會採取一個非常小的。

piece of sandstone and just work around those bosses and those knobs to grind that surface

圍繞著那些老闆和那些旋鈕來打磨那個表面

smooth. And that's generally the finish we see, they didn't go to polish the surface

光滑。而我們看到的一般都是這樣的表面，他們並沒有去打磨表面。

like we see with polished stone axes, they just ground it to a smooth finish.

就像我們看到的拋光石斧，他們只是把它磨得很光滑。

And the very final stage is decorating the surface. And only about 40 Carved Stone Balls

而最後一個階段就是裝飾表面。而只有大約40個石雕球

out of 500 have decorated surfaces. And this involved the very fine incision of lines over

500箇中有裝飾的表面。而這涉及到非常細微的線條切口，過

the surfaces. We see spiral designs, we see chevrons, we see concentric circles - we see

的表面。我們看到的是螺旋形設計，我們看到的是方格紋，我們看到的是同心圓 - 我們看到的是

sort of Neolithic designs which are reminiscent of Passage Grave art that we typically find

某種新石器時代的設計，讓人聯想到我們通常發現的通道墓穴藝術

in Ireland and up the West Coast of Britain into Orkney.

在愛爾蘭和英國西海岸進入奧克尼。

The Carved Stone Ball that's being recreated today is based on an example found at Old

今天重現的石雕球，是根據在老城區發現的一個例子。

Deer in Aberdeenshire, which is the real centre of the distributions of Carved Stone Balls.

阿伯丁郡的鹿，才是石雕球真正的分佈中心。

Most of them come from the North East of Scotland, and this one is a particularly stunning example

它們大多來自蘇格蘭的東北部，而這個是一個特別驚人的例子。

because of the decoration on its surface. But we know very little about its discovery.

因為它表面的裝飾。但我們對它的發現知之甚少。

It was found, allegedly, in a Cairn and it first sort of came to the attention of antiquarians

據稱，它是在一個凱恩發現的，它首先引起了古物學家的注意。

in 1874 when it was shown to the Society of Antiquities of Scotland in Edinburgh and it

1874年在愛丁堡的蘇格蘭古物協會上展出，它是

was published the following year. It wasn't until 1930 that it was donated to the British

於次年出版。直到1930年，它才被捐贈給英國的

Museum.

博物館。

Seeing a Carved Stone Ball recreated really helps me understand that process of manufacturing

看到石雕球的重現，真的能幫助我理解那個製造的過程

a Carved Stone Ball a little bit more. It really brings out the number of decisions

一顆雕花石球多一點。它真正帶來的決定數

you have to make during that process of manufacturing it. And how slow that process is. And if we

你必須在製造它的過程中做出。而這個過程是多麼的緩慢。如果我們

think back to the past they weren't necessarily manufacturing Carved Stone Balls in one go,

回想過去，他們不一定能一次性製造出雕花石球。

this was potentially a process that was drawn out over many years potentially decades. It

這可能是一個經過多年甚至幾十年的過程。它

might even be that things were decorated over generations where you began to change and

甚至可能是，事情裝飾了幾代人，你開始改變和。

decorate that Carved Stone Ball in different ways. But what you realise is that the level

用不同的方式來裝飾那個雕花石球。但你意識到的是，這個級別

of detail and precision of thought that has to go into that process and that's what really

的細節和精確的思想，必須進入這個過程，這才是真正的。

is just wonderful to see someone actually making a Carved Stone Ball.

看到有人真的做了一個雕花石球，實在是太好了。

If this film has piqued your interest about Carved Stone Balls you can come along and

如果這部電影引起了你對石雕球的興趣，你可以來和

see it and lots of other amazing objects at the British Museum exhibition here at Stonehenge

在巨石陣這裡的大英博物館展覽上，可以看到它和許多其他令人驚奇的物品。

which runs until 21st April 2019. You can also click on the British Museum video to

，一直持續到2019年4月21日。你也可以點擊大英博物館的視頻，以

find out more about the Carved Stone Ball.

瞭解更多關於石雕球的資訊。