National Geographic & Wonderful Nature

The stone spheres depicted here are not a scene from a sci-fi movie; they are real and located in a remote area of Costa Rica. Some are perfect spheres. The mystery lies in who made them and why. Like the Pyramids and the Sphinx, these spheres cannot be dated using the C14 radiocarbon method, which only dates organic material found on the stones. If the spheres had been washed, any datable traces would be erased.

Archaeologists have linked these spheres to the Diquís culture, which existed around 600 AD. However, this does not explain how a supposedly primitive population could carve several hundred perfect spheres, with the largest measuring 2.66 meters (8.73 feet) in diameter. Crafting a perfect sphere without advanced tools is incredibly difficult.

Questions arise: were other ancient populations capable of this work? Until recently, it was believed that the original culture of the Americas was the Clovis, dating back 14,000 years. However, research published around 2020 suggests humans lived in central Mexico at least 30,000 years ago. Genetic studies indicate these populations had ancestors from Sundaland and Siberia, not North America, suggesting a more complex history.

Reflect on how rare sphere-shaped sculptures are in history. What inspired these ancient people to create hundreds of them in a small region? The mystery endures, challenging our understanding of ancient civilizations.

Most famous in the 1981 film ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders’ of the Lost Ark, many of you will have seen pictures of the mysterious stone balls of Costa Rica, hundreds of seemingly perfect spheres of hard igneous rock that were discovered in the Diquis Delta. No, they aren’t ancient booby traps for tombs robbers, but in truth, nobody really knows what they are or why more than 300 of them were made.

They are true anomalies of the pre-Columbian era and because of their mysterious nature, they have been used as evidence for ancient high technology and ancient aliens, as well as everything in between.

But this is because there are a number of misconceptions about these spheres. Yes they are spectacular works of stone, but they are not perfect spheres and do not weigh as much as 30 tons.