Teotihuacan Collection Berlin
A selection of objects from the extensive collection of the Ethnological Museum Berlin.
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Teotihuacan, 250-650 A.D.
Height: 13 cm; width 13 cm; depth: 12,5 cm
Col. Schultze-Jena, 1931
ID IV Ca 42249
National Museums in Berlin, Ethnological Museum
Sitting clay figures of the type of the host were found in the context of burial or sacrificial sites. What is special is that the hollow chest area can be closed with a small lid. One or more substantially smaller ceramic figures were originally in the interior of the body; they represent various strata of the society, such as warrior, ruler, merchant, or richly adorned women of the Teotihuacan elite – thus the term "host figure". The ritual character of such figures is obvious. But archaeologists have not yet been able to clearly attribute a specific function to these finds.
© Photo: SMB / Claudia Obrocki
A selection of objects from the extensive collection of the Ethnological Museum Berlin.