Painted and polished pebbles
Analysed by Martin Goldberg and Fraser Hunter (National Museums of Scotland) and Ann Clarke
Three quartzite pebbles, painted with dark pigment, were found during the excavations. A broken pebble from a deposit pre-dating Structure 3 bears dots and meandering lines, probably painted over three phases. Another from the clay floor inside that cell was painted with a series of lines and loops, and a third fragment from outside the building has an oval dot and several broad lines. At least two of them were deliberately broken. They might have been used (and re-used) as charm stones; perhaps they were damaged to break their power. Other painted pebbles have been found in the Shetland Isles at Old Scatness, at Scalloway and on Balta Isle off Unst.
Four small polished pebbles from early deposits associated with Structure 5 may have been gaming pieces, counters or charms.
