Background Notes from the author of What Time Has Kept: A Dual-Era Mystery
Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
Early readers of my upcoming release What Time Has Kept have asked what inspired me to build my dual-timeline novel around one of Scotland’s most mysterious ancient artifacts.
It started with a newspaper article passed along to me by my ever-helpful husband. Knowing that I love unsolved mysteries, he figured Scotland’s 5000-year-old carved stone balls would excite my imagination. These odd artifacts only came to light in the nineteenth century, with the vast majority of the 500 or so specimens discovered in northeast Scotland. Though they have been dated to the Neolithic period, soil erosion and other factors over time brought them close enough to the surface that most of the balls were uncovered by farmers or trench-diggers in the course of their usual labor.
One particular stone, called the Towie ball because it was discovered just outside the Scottish hamlet of Towie, is widely considered the most extraordinary example of a Neolithic carved stone ball. Today, it resides in Edinburgh, at the National Museum of Scotland. It is the Towie ball that led me to explore the fascinating synergy between certain objects and human consciousness. I delve into this idea through the stories of two women, separated by 150 years but sharing a love of archaeology and a determination to have their voices heard.
What was the purpose of these ancient stones? About three inches in diameter, with anywhere from three to an amazing 160 protruding “disks” often decorated with finely-etched symbols, the carved balls remain a puzzle to archaeologists. No one has figured out what they were for, although there are various theories. Were they weapons? Household tools? Sacred objects, or symbols of status and power? Or, taking it a step further, could they somehow open a path to self-discovery? To unlocking long-buried memories? Confronting truth?
Neither of the women in my story was prepared for what the stones would reveal. Or for what happened next.
