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The OLMEC Civilization was one of the most influential ancient civilizations of the early Americas, and though its dominance of the region faded in the last centuries before the Common Era, the OLMEC civilization is commonly thought to be the “mother culture” of many other cultures that appeared in the region in later years. These cultures ...
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Dates: c. 2,500 - 400 BCE
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Feb 11, 2007 . The OLMECs, regarded as America's first civilization, existed from about 1500 to 400 BC. They resided in what is known as "Olman", or the OLMEC heartland, situated in Mexico on the southern tip of the Gulf of Mexico. It stretched from Veracruz in the west to Tabasco in the east, occupying the northern part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
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The OLMEC society lasted from about 1600 BCE to around 350 BCE, when environmental factors made their villages unlivable. The OLMEC are probably best known for the statues they carved: 20 ton stone heads, quarried and carved to commemorate their rulers. The name OLMEC is an Aztec word meaning the rubber people; the OLMEC made and traded rubber ...
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The OLMECs are especially identified with 17 huge stone heads—ranging in height from 1.47 to 3.4 metres (4.82 to 11.15 feet)—with flat faces and full lips, wearing helmetlike headgear. It is generally thought that these are portraits of OLMEC rulers. Other OLMEC artifacts include so-called baby-faced figures and figurines.
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The OLMEC civilization is the name given to a sophisticated central American culture, with its heyday between 1200 and 400 BCE. The OLMEC heartland lies in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco, at the narrow part of Mexico west of the Yucatan peninsula and east of Oaxaca.
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Mar 04, 2019 . Although archeologists have used the name "OLMEC," to refer to the Black builders of ancient Mexico's first civilizations, recent discoveries have proven that these Afro-OLMECs were West Africans of the Mende language and cultural group. Inscriptions found on ancient monuments in parts of Mexico show that the script used by the ancient OLMECs was identical…
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The mystery surrounding the OLMEC Maize god is one that has been puzzled over for decades by art historians and academics alike, which is why the Kunz axe (or Ceremonial axe) depicting the Maize god is used by historians to not only build theories of OLMEC religious practices, but also as something to critique and decipher in and of itself (fig. 1).
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As there is a wide range of representation and type among these figures, such interpretations are not necessarily exclusive. Certain figurines have details that may indicate social status, such as the earspools and hairstyle seen here, while others clearly relate to OLMEC imagery.
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Up to12%cash back . Download this stock image: Yoke. Culture: OLMEC. Dimensions: H. 7 1/2 x W. 5 7/8 x D. 6 in. (19.1 x 14.9 x 15.2 cm). Date: 10th-4th century BC. A prime example of a Preclassic Mesoamerican yoke (so named for its formal similarity to modern agricultural yokes), this stone sculpture contains a serene portrait. The human face was formed in low relief and …
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Jun 10, 2015 . 10 things you should know about the ancient OLMECs. Archaeologists estimate that the period of existence of the OLMECs was between 200 and 500 thousand years before Christ. According to several studies, there were three areas where the ancient OLMECs focused their reign, these were mainly San Lorenzo, Veracruz; Tabasco Sale and Tres Zapotes ...
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Ceremonial Ax (“Kunz Ax”) 1000–400 B.C. OLMEC. Not on view. Both the material and form of this object refer to maize agriculture: jade symbolized maize, and the ax was an agricultural tool. Axes were typically made of humbler materials; the use of jade indicates this example’s ceremonial role, as does its size and the quality of the ...
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Mar 21, 2014 . The heads can be nearly 3 m high, 4.5 metres (9.8 feet, 14.7 feet) in circumference and average around 8 tons in weight. The heads were sculpted using hard hand-held stones and it is likely that they were originally painted using bright colours.
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Aerial remote-sensing of a large region of Mexico has revealed hundreds of ancient Mesoamerican ceremonial centers, including a large one at an important site for the ancient OLMEC culture that is known for its colossal stone heads. The remote-sensing method, called lidar, pinpointed 478 ceremonial centers in areas that were home to the ancient OLMEC …
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OLMEC sites and artifacts have also been reported from the states of Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Chiapas. Most of the small carved jades have come ... both places this happens to coincide with the longest dimension of the natural hill, the fact . 4 A ME R ICA N ANTHROPOLOGIST [77,1975 Figure 2.
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The oldest known OLMEC site is a ceremonial complex at San Lorenzo in Mexico’s Tabasco state, which enjoyed a 300-year heyday from about 1400 to 1100 BC, making it a few centuries older than the ...
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The monument weighs almost 20 tons. The OLMEC colossal heads are stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders. They range in height from 1.17 to 3.4 metres (3.8 to 11.2 ft). The heads date from at least 900 BC and are a distinctive feature of the OLMEC civilization of ancient Mesoamerica.
The "OLMEC-style" also very distinctly combines facial features of both humans and jaguars. OLMEC arts are strongly tied to the OLMEC religion, which prominently featured jaguars. The OLMEC people believed that in the distant past a race of werejaguars was made between the union of a jaguar and a woman.
The OLMEC civilization is the name given to a sophisticated central American culture with its heyday between 1200 and 400 BC. The OLMEC heartland lies in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco, at the narrow part of Mexico west of the Yucatan peninsula and east of Oaxaca.
The heads range in size from the Rancho La Cobata head, at 3.4 m (11 ft) high, to the pair at Tres Zapotes, at 1.47 m (4 ft 10 in). Scholars calculate that the largest heads weigh between 25 and 55 tonnes (28 and 61 short tons). One of the mosaics from the La Venta OLMEC site.
History & Culture. The OLMEC were the first great Mesoamerican civilization. They thrived along Mexico’s Gulf coast, mainly in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco, from about 1200 to 400 B.C., although there were pre-OLMEC societies before that and post-OLMEC (or Epi-OLMEC) societies afterward.
The OLMEC colossal heads are the most famous artifacts left behind by the OLMEC civilization. The OLMEC people are believed to have occupied a large part of modern-day Southern Mexico. person who studies artifacts and lifestyles of ancient cultures. material remains of a culture, such as tools, clothing, or food.
The OLMEC people are believed to have occupied a large part of modern-day Southern Mexico. person who studies artifacts and lifestyles of ancient cultures. material remains of a culture, such as tools, clothing, or food. made of clay. scientific studies done outside of a lab, classroom, or office. corn.
The heads date from at least 900 BC and are a distinctive feature of the OLMEC civilization of ancient Mesoamerica. All portray mature individuals with fleshy cheeks, flat noses, and slightly-crossed eyes; their physical characteristics correspond to a type that is still common among the inhabitants of Tabasco and Veracruz.