The rolling stones of Bronze Age Aegean: Applying machine learning to explore the use of lithic spheres from Akrotiri, Thera

Abstract

Across the Bronze Age Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, various small spherical lithic artefacts have been discovered. The exact use of such artefacts remains a mystery, possible interpretations suggest that they are a form of counting system or counters for board games. This paper examines the largest collection of such artefacts found in the area to-date, the 746 spheres from the prehistoric town of Akrotiri in the island of Thera (Santorini). After the spheres were assessed and traditional statistical analyses were applied, machine learning was employed to further examine clustering of the spheres and to suggest potential interpretations of their manufacture, use and deposition. The paper concludes with the suggestion that the workflow proposed here, for Akrotiri, can be used to examine patterns in similar artefact groups from the Easter Mediterranean and beyond.