While the subject of who has the real stone balls might sound like something out the of jaded 2016 U.S. election campaign, there is actually a debate about the subject among archaeologists. It was instigated by the recent discovery in Bosnia of the above sphere that is estimated to weigh 30 tons.
According to Bosnian archaeologist Semir Osmanagich, the ball is one several that have been found near the town of Zavidovici. He believes the spheres are evidence of an ancient lost culture, and says there used to be about 80 of them. No mention is made of what happened to them, which might be even more interesting than the spheres themselves.
If you’ve heard anything previously about large stone spheres, it’s probably the well known ones in Costa Rica. As the article notes: “The Bosnian sphere invites comparison to stone spheres in Costa Rica, which occupy four sites that were given a UNESCO world heritage designation in 2014 and are said to be the inspiration for a scene in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
But other archaeologists, who refer to Osmanagich as a controversial figure among his peers, say these spheres appear to be natural formations. Archaeologists tend to be protective of their own territory. From the article: John Hoopes, chair of the department of anthropology at the University of Kansas and an expert on the Costa Rican spheres, says the stones looks like a “natural concretion.” Hoopes goes on to say that the Costa Rican spheres – his stone balls – are definitely man-made. However, the purpose of the spheres and how they were made remain a mystery.
Maybe they were made to chase snoopy archaeologist along underground tunnels, as in Raiders.
PS In the event that we lose electrical power in the next few days, this post will stay here until the power is back on.
so if my math formulae be up to date,,on I’ve never used before…”like a virgin”,, and we sure as heck aren’t talking Margaria!! Vloume of a sphere being 4/3 PIE R to the 3rd,, with 4/3 Pie being a constant a blah blah… maybe about 4.2,,, and from the looks of that ding guess a radii of 5 ft… cube being 125 by 4.2 brings it towards 520 ft cube with convert weighing 150 a cube ft. maybe the stone 50-60% up making it 230/ Aprox… so 230 by 520 gives us 120,000 pouns… so scaling back the 60-60 % and the 5 ft radii gosh darn ther enumber works.. O my bad….
first, wishing you the very best fortune in the hurricane scare. May every mango stay on your tree, and no hurricane come to your door.
Second, I feel that Osmanagich is an incredible, committed, visionary. The Bosnian Pyramid theory has been so shamefully pooh poohed by the archeological community, but if one reads the body of his work, he has some very good evidence and some impressive discoveries, among them, 10,000 year old cement that form “stairs” in the “pyramid” structure (the cement was sent to laboratories to determine its nature and age), floors of massive laid stones, and underground tunnels. Osmanagich is a romantic, and it’s a bit unfortunate that his New Age romanticism has rubbed the wrong way with the competative archeological world. I remain very excited about his discoveries, and I think he has stumbled on one of the great mysteries of the ancient world, a world I believe understood how to use the power places of the Earth, much as the Great Pyramids of Egypt did, and many other mysterious ancient sites. I think he is a brave and dedicated man……….
Thanks, Lauren – still no rain here, just a warm night.
It figures you would know about this! Thanks for your insights!
Maybe the stones are from ElseWhere. That would be my guess. We, like the MacGregors, are in line for a potential direct hit from Matthew. Living on an island on the beach, we’ve been given mandatory evacuation orders, but are staying home because we are on a high hill. Wind is our enemy, not water, and the winds are predicted to have gusts here as high as 100mph. That’s a valid concern, considering the ancient very tall oaks surrounding us. In any event, to everyone in our situation, STAY SAFE. And we need to send positive thoughts to Haiti, hit yet again with Nature’s worst wrath!
YOU STAY SAFE TOO, CJ! Still hot and sunny here.