The ancient Americanist Dr Harry Thomass playing a ritual ball game
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Foto: Patrick Helber
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The ancient Americanist Dr Harry Thomass playing a ritual ball game
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Foto: Patrick Helber
Guided Tour
Ball game, ritual and sacrifice
Just a sport event?
Past events
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| free admission |
| Treffpunkt F |
| German |
| Ethnologisches Museum, 2. OG |
| Belongs to: Ethnological Collections and Asian Art |
The ball is round, but how long did a Mesoamerican ball game actually last? This is usually interpreted as a religious ritual. The Maya practiced human sacrifice as part of their ball games. But is only the ritual interpretation correct? Did the Maya perhaps also play ball for fun? In the guided tour, you will discuss both the ritual and the sporting dimension of the ball game with the ancient Americanist Dr. Harry Thomaß.