This week, archaeologists have reported the unearthing of a stone scoreboard utilized in an ancient ball game similar to soccer at the renowned Mayan Chichen Itza archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.

The circular artifact measures slightly more than 32 centimeters (12.6 inches) in diameter and weighs approximately 40 kilograms (88 pounds), CNN reported.

It features hieroglyphic text encircling two players positioned alongside a ball, as stated in a release by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

“In this Mayan site, it is rare to find hieroglyphic writing, let alone a complete text,” said Francisco Perez, one of the archaeologists coordinating the investigations in the Chichanchob complex, as reported by CNN.

Experts estimate that the stone, thought to be a scoreboard, dates back to the period between 800 AD and 900 AD.

The ball game was a customary activity among Mesoamerican civilizations and is believed to have held religious connotations.

Written by staff