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The OLMEC culture was first defined as an art style, and this continues to be the hallmark of the culture. Wrought in a large number of media – jade, clay, basalt, and greenstone among others – much OLMEC art, such as The Wrestler, is naturalistic. Other art expresses fantastic anthropomorphic creatures, often highly stylized, using an iconography reflective of a religious meaning. Common motifsinclude downturned mouths and a cleft head, both of which are seen i…
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Research at these and other sites has led to the following insights. The OLMEC diet initially included foods from fishing and hunting. Maize and other crops were a later addition to their foodstuffs. The OLMEC created massive monuments, including colossal stone heads, thrones, stela (upright slabs), and statues. They may have been the originators of the Mesoamerican …
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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.
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Aug 26, 2013 . 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 were great artists and traders who culturally dominated early …
Occupation: Professor of History And Literature
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Occupation: Professor of History And Literature
Published: Aug 19, 2013
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Mar 04, 2019 . The OLMECs. 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 …
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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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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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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 heads of Mexico are a collection of 17 giant stone head sculptures believed to have been carved by the OLMECs. The heads, and their inspiration, have been the cause for much debate throughout history. The OLMEC civilization is considered to be the first major Mesoamerican culture and was believed to have existed between 1200 and 400 B.C. It …
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It measures about 3,300 feet by 900 feet (1,000 meters by 275 meters), with 20 platforms around the edge slightly elevated above it. Its purpose remains unclear but it may have been a plaza where...
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The naturalistic facial features are carved in such a way that experts suspect they are representations of actual ancient OLMEC rulers. Ten of …
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It measures about 3,300 feet by 900 feet (1,000 meters by 275 meters), with 20 platforms around the edge slightly elevated above it. Its purpose remains unclear but it may have been a plaza where...
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Jul 06, 2017 . The Mystery of the OLMEC Heads Both the skill level required to craft them and their sheer size – conflicting reports place the heads at anywhere between 4 and 60 tonnes each, and between 5 to 12 feet tall – have been baffling researchers for years.
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The OLMEC history that came to be even before 1200 BC shows that their civilization was favored by the well watered alluvial soil which was very suitable for agriculture and to be specific the maize production a civilization that is comparable with that of the Mesopotamian region. The population concentration in San Lorenzo is assumed to be the motivating factor behind the …
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Oct 14, 2016 . Till date, 17 monumental stone heads have been recovered; 16 from the OLMEC ceremonial centers at San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes, and a solitary one - the La Cobata head - which is also the largest, from a mountain pass in Sierra de los Tuxtlas. The La Cobata head weights nearly 40 tons while the smallest one is close to 6 tons.
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This sculpture, which stands almost eight feet tall and weighs about 24 tons, is typical of the colossal heads of the OLMEC. It's now housed in the Parque-Museum La Venta, in Villahermosa, the capital of the Mexican state of Tabasco.
Derived from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word “OLMECatl”, which means “inhabitant of the rubber country”, OLMEC is a reference to the rubber production in the area where many of the artifacts have been found. There are several OLMEC sites thought to be important centers of activity, of which San Lorenzo and La Venta are the most significant.
OLMEC artists are known for both monumental and miniature portrayals of what are assumed to be persons of authority-from six-ton heads sculptures to figurines. The OLMECs ( / ˈɒlmɛks, ˈoʊl -/) were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization.
Test your knowledge. Take the quiz. The chief OLMEC sites are San Lorenzo, La Venta, Laguna de los Cerros, and Tres Zapotes in what is now southern Mexico. Much of what is known about the OLMECs was inferred from archaeological excavations at those sites, which have uncovered large earthen pyramids and platforms and monumental stone carvings.
History & Culture. The OLMEC culture thrived along Mexico’s gulf coast from roughly 1200 to 400 B.C. Best known today for their carved colossal heads, the OLMECs were an important early Mesoamerican civilization which had much influence on later cultures such as the Aztecs and the Maya.
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 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 most striking legacy of the OLMEC civilization must be the colossal stone heads they produced. These were carved in basalt and all display unique facial features so that they may be considered portraits of actual rulers.