Things We’ve Learned This Month

The ancient Maya may have played games using balls made from the ashes of their dead rulers, an archaeologist has claimed. Juan Yadeun Angulo came up with the theory after studying a crypt in the ruined city of Toniná, Mexico, where researchers recently uncovered 400 urns filled with plant roots, rubber, coal and burned human remains. The archaeologist believes the rulers’ bodies were cremated in the crypt and combined with other substances to create giant balls used for playing pelota – a sport resembling a mixture of football, volleyball and basketball. Mr Yadeun told the Reuters news agency that the Maya may have wanted their rulers to be “converted into a life force, something to stimulate their people”.

MAIN: Descendants of the Maya have been trying to revive the sport of pelota – sometimes referred to as the ‘Mesoamerican ballgame’o o LEFT: An intricate stone disc, which would have been embedded in the ground and used as a marker e BELOW: The sunken ballcourt at Toniná, MexicoE

The remains of an Iron Age settlement in Orkney are being destroyed by coastal erosion, say archaeologists. Dr Stephen Dockrill, who has been digging at the site along with fellow staff and students from the University of Bradford, claims that parts of the settlement – located at the Knowe of Swandro, on the island of Rousay – are being “sucked out like a vacuum” by the sea. Despite the challenging conditions, the archaeologists have uncovered a range of items, including jewellery, bone tools, pottery, and a glass toggle bead.

A project led by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has revealed new information about the battle of Culloden, where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebel troops were defeated by a loyalist army in 1746. Following a survey of the battlefield, near Inverness, researchers discovered that the left flank of the Jacobite army was arrayed across an area known as Culloden Parks, close to Culloden House – much further west than previously believed. The HES team also found that a significant portion of the parks’ boundary walls have survived, even though the site was thought to be lost.

The debate over whether the British Museum should return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece has intensified, with museum deputy director Jonathan Williams stating the institution was open to a “Parthenon partnership” with the country. While the museum has not formally committed to returning the sculptures, Williams said: “There are many wonderful things we’d be delighted to borrow and lend.” Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said he was open to discussion, but warned, “Baby steps are not enough. We want big steps.”

MAIN: The 15th-century castle, near Sleaford, was studied as part of a project led by buildings archaeologist James Wright BELOW: A fireplace located on the first floor of the castle’s great tower

A Lincolnshire castle owned by the National Trust is older than previously thought, claims a new study. Researchers working at Tattershall Castle, near Sleaford, uncovered evidence suggesting the landmark was constructed in c1431–51 – at least 15 years earlier than past estimates – making it one of the first brick buildings in the country. The study, led by archaeologist James Wright as part of his PhD research at the University of Nottingham, also claims that the roof turrets of the great tower were used as banqueting suites.