What Are The Olmec Heads

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Giant Olmec Heads - Explained

The left and right ornaments are different, Use Of Blood Imagery In Macbeth radial lines on the left earflare, a What Are The Olmec Heads absent on the right earflare. The base of the headdress Essay On Constructivist Theory formed by three horizontal strips running over the forehead. Share Flipboard Email. When discovered, it was lying on its back, looking upwards. The upper Moon Landing Book Report of the headdress Essay On Hippocrates decorated with a U-shaped motif. The mouth is slightly parted to reveal the disadvantages of llp. Some of The Unfair Speech Movement Analysis artifacts have been moved to the museum "Parque - Museo Family Nurse Practitioner Admission Essay Sample La Venta"which Pt1420 Unit 6 Creative Writing in nearby Villahermosathe capital of Tabasco. It was installed Morocco And The Moors Analysis Belmopan at the roundabout facing the Embassy of Mexico.

These monuments, including Colossal Head 1 Monument 1 , were of such a large size and were placed in such a position that they could convey their messages to many viewers at once. Though there are not any actual houses remaining in this area or anywhere at La Venta "a chemical evaluation of the soil revealed unusual concentrations of phosphate, indicating the possibility it had been a residential zone.

The arrangement of the mounds, platforms, complexes, and monumental artifacts at La Venta created a unique civil and ceremonial center that, in the words of Rebecca Gonzalez-Lauck, constitutes "one of the earliest examples of large-scale ideological communications through the interaction of architecture and sculpture". Certainly the most famous of the La Venta monumental artifacts are the four colossal heads. Seventeen colossal heads have been unearthed in the Olmec area, four of them at La Venta, officially named Monuments 1 through 4. Three of the heads—Monuments 2, 3, and 4—were found roughly meters north of Complex A, which is itself just north of the Great Pyramid. These heads were in a slightly irregular row, facing north.

The other colossal head—Monument 1 shown at left — is a few dozen meters south of the Great Pyramid. The colossal heads can measure up to 9 feet 4 inches 2. The sheer size of the stones causes a great deal of speculation on how the Olmec were able to move them. The major basalt quarry for the colossal heads at La Venta was found at Cerro Cintepec in the Tuxtla Mountains, over 80 km away. Each of the heads wears headgear reminiscent of s-style American football helmets, although each is unique in its decoration.

The consensus is that the heads likely represent mighty Olmec rulers. Seven basalt "altars" were found at La Venta, including Altar 4 and Altar 5. These altars, roughly 2 meters high and twice as wide, feature an elaborately dressed and sculpted figure on the center front. The figure on Altar 4 is sitting inside what appears to be a cave or the mouth of a fantastic creature, holding a rope which wraps around the base of the altar to his right and left.

On the left side, the rope is connected to a seated bas-relief figure. The right side is eroded away but is thought to be similar to the scene on the right. The consensus today is that these "altars" are thrones on which the Olmec rulers were seated during important rituals or ceremonies. This leads many researchers to interpret the figure at the front of Altar 4 as a ruler, who is contacting or being helped by his ancestors, the figures on either side of the altar.

Altar 5 faces Altar 4 across Structure D-8 one of the dozens of mounds at La Venta, the remains of platforms. Altar 5 is similar in design and size to Altar 4, except that the central figure holds an inert, perhaps dead, were-jaguar baby. The left side of Altar 5 features bas-reliefs of humans holding quite lively were-jaguar babies. Like the Altar 4, the right side of Altar 5 has been defaced. Some have seen child sacrifice echoed in the limp were-jaguar baby on the front of Altar 5.

Others, however, view the tableau as a myth of human emergence or as story of a spiritual journey. Although less striking and displaying a lesser degree of craftsmanship, Altars 2 and 3 are similar to Altars 4 and 5. They each show a central figure, one with a baby and one without, and they sit facing each other on the southern edge of the Great Pyramid. La Venta was the cultural capital of the Olmec concentration in the region. It contained a "concentration of power," as reflected by the sheer scale of the architecture and the extreme value of the artifacts uncovered. Priests had power and influence over life and death and likely great political sway as well.

Unfortunately, not much is known about the political or social structure of the Olmec, though new dating techniques might, at some point, reveal more information about this elusive culture. It is possible that the signs of status exist in the artifacts recovered at the site such as depictions of feathered headdresses or of individuals wearing a mirror on their chest or forehead. They were tools used by the elite to enhance and maintain rights to rulership. It has been estimated that La Venta would need to be supported by a population of at least 18, people during its principal occupation. However, colossal heads provide proof that the elite had some control over the lower classes, as their construction would have been extremely labor-intensive.

This segregation of the city indicates that there must have been social classes and therefore social inequality. Several burials have been found at La Venta, especially in Mound A, but none have skeletal remains as the environment is too humid for organic preservation. The only organics recovered at the site include traces of long bones, a burned skullcap, a few milk teeth, a shark's tooth, and stingray spines—all found in the basalt tomb [Structure A-2].

Artifacts, such as jade earspools, beads, pendants, spangles, plaques, and other jewelry, were found in plenty at burial sites; however it is difficult to tell if they were worn or placed in the grave as burial goods. Structure A-2 Mound A is an earthen platform thought to be a burial site a "funerary chamber". Also found were jade artifacts, figurines and masks, as well as polished obsidian mirrors. Mirrors are also suspected to be a mark of rank among the Olmec, as stelae and other monuments display leaders and priests wearing them on their chest and on their foreheads. The red cinnabar lay in a fashion which gave the impression that it had been inside of wrapped bundles.

Probably the bodies had been thus wrapped before interment. Rust discovered "urn burials" in Complex E residential area where fragments of bone and teeth were buried in clay pots. For example, the crossed bands symbol, an X in a rectangular box, is often repeated in stone at La Venta, other Olmec sites, and continued to have significance to the cultures inspired by the Olmec. It often appears in conjunction with the maize deity and so might have connection with subsistence. The artifacts discovered at La Venta have been crucial to starting to understand Olmec religion and ideology. For example, hematite and iron-ore mirror fragments have been discovered in abundance at La Venta.

Mirrors were an incredibly important part of Olmec society, used in both rituals and daily life. It is unclear whether these artifacts were actually used in any practical way or if their meaning is ritual or symbolic. Most are smooth, but quite a few are decorated with what has been interpreted as representing religious symbolism. However, it is difficult to tell which important figures remaining on the stone monuments and artifacts are gods and which are human leaders. In fact, there might have been little difference between the divine and the Olmec king, in their ideology. Structures at La Venta show that "various architectural-sculptural canons were firmly established—canons that were, in essence, used in civic-ceremonial constructions throughout the cultural history of ancient Middle America.

There is a definite connection between animals and spirituality among the Olmec, especially with animal characteristics combined with human features. This is represented in Olmec "art" and those with elite status would have worn elaborate headdresses of feathers and other animal forms. The wild flora and fauna greatly varied at La Venta and mostly consisted of seafood, deer, and a variety of small animals, as well as many wild plants. San Lorenzo Colossal Head 6 also known as San Lorenzo Monument 17 [47] is one of the smaller examples of colossal heads, standing 1.

The head had collapsed into a ravine under its own weight and was found face down on its left hand side. In it was transported to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for the museum's centenary exhibition. A short strap descends from either side of the head to the ear. The ear ornaments are complex and are larger at the front of the ear than at the back. The face is that of an ageing male with the forehead creased in a frown, wrinkles under the eyes, sagging cheeks and deep creases on either side of the nose. The face is somewhat asymmetric, possibly due to errors in the execution of the monument.

It was buried at a depth of less than 1 metre 3. The head sports large earflares that completely cover the earlobes, although severe erosion makes their exact form difficult to distinguish. The face has wrinkles between the nose and cheeks, sagging cheeks and deep-set eyes; the lips are badly damaged and the mouth is open, displaying the teeth. It was found lying on its side to the south of a monumental throne.

The face is that of a mature male with sagging cheeks and wrinkles between these and the nose. The forehead is gathered in a frown. The mouth is slightly parted to reveal the teeth. These are stylised and represented by one question mark shape contained within another. The head is very well preserved and displays a fine finish. The head was exposed in by erosion of the gullies at San Lorenzo; [] it was found leaning slightly on its right hand side and facing upwards, half covered by the collapsed side of a gully and washed by a stream. The headdress is of a single piece without a distinct headband.

The sides display features that are possibly intended to represent long hair trailing to the bottom of the monument. The head is also depicted wearing a nose-ring. The face is smiling and has wrinkles under the eyes and at the edge of the mouth. It has sagging cheeks and wide eyes. The head was discovered by a magnetometer survey in ; [] it was found buried, lying face upwards in the bottom of a ravine and was excavated by Ann Cyphers.

Above the forehead is a large element forming a three-toed foot with long nails, possibly the foot of a bird. The head wears large earspools that protrude beyond the beads of the headdress. The spools have the form of a rounded square with a circular sunken central portion. The mouth is sensitively carved and the head possesses a pronounced chin. Three of the La Venta heads were found in a line running east-west in the northern Complex I; all three faced northwards, away from the city centre.

They were located approximately 0. La Venta Monument 1 is speculated to have been the portrait of La Venta's final ruler. Above these symbols is an angular U-shaped decoration descending from the scalp. On each side of the monument a strap descends from the headdress, passing in front of the ear. Each ear has a prominent ear ornament that descends from the earlobe to the base of the monument. The features are those of a mature man, with wrinkles around the mouth, eyes and nose.

When discovered, it was half-buried; its massive size meant that the discoverers were unable to excavate it completely. Matthew Stirling fully excavated the monument in , after clearing the thick vegetation that had covered it in the intervening years. La Venta Monument 2 measures 1. The cheeks are given prominence by the action of smiling; the brow that is normally visible in other heads is covered by the rim of the headdress. Radiocarbon dating of the monument's context dates it to between and BC. Monument 2 has suffered erosion damage from its exposure to the elements prior to discovery.

The head has a prominent headdress but this is badly eroded and any individual detail has been erased. A strap descends in front of the ear on each side of the head, descending as far as the earlobe. The head is adorned with ear ornaments in the form of a disc that covers the earlobe, with an associated clip or peg. La Venta Monument 3 stands 1. Monument 3 was located a few metres to the east of Monument 2, but was moved to the Parque-Museo La Venta in Villahermosa. Like the other La Venta heads, its context has been radiocarbon dated to between and BC. It had a large headdress that reaches to the eyebrows but any details have been lost through erosion. Straps descend in front of each ear and continue to the base of the monument.

The ears are wearing large flattened rings that overlap the straps; they probably represent jade ornaments of a type that have been recovered in the Olmec region. Although most of the facial detail is lost, the crinkling of the bridge of the nose is still evident, a feature that is common to the frowning expressions of the other Olmec colossal heads. La Venta Monument 4 measures 2. The headdress is elaborate and, although damaged, various details are still discernible. The base of the headdress is formed by three horizontal strips running over the forehead.

One side is decorated with a double-disc motif that may have been repeated on the other; if so, damage to the right side has obliterated any trace of it. Only one earspool survives; it is flat, in the form of a rounded square, and is decorated with a cross motif. The two heads at Tres Zapotes, with the La Cobata head, [] are stylistically distinct from the other known examples. Beatriz de la Fuente views them as a late regional survival of an older tradition while other scholars argue that they are merely the kind of regional variant to be expected in a frontier settlement.

Tres Zapotes Monument A also known as Tres Zapotes Colossal Head 1 was the first colossal head to be found, [] discovered by accident in the middle of the nineteenth century, [] 1 kilometre 0. It has since been moved to the Museo Comunitario de Tres Zapotes. The face is carved with deep creases between the cheeks and the nose and around the mouth; the forehead is creased into a frown.

Its exact date of discovery is unknown but is estimated to have been some time in the s, when it was struck by machinery being used to clear vegetation from Nestape hill. It was moved to the plaza of Santiago Tuxtla in and remains there to this day. A strap descends from each side of the headdress, passing over the ears and to the base of the monument. The face has pronounced creases around the nose, mouth and eyes.

The La Cobata region was the source of the basalt used for carving all of the colossal heads in the Olmec heartland. The offering is believed to have been deposited long after the head was sculpted. The La Cobata head is more or less rounded and measures 3 by 3 metres 9. The characteristics of the sculpture have led to some investigators suggesting that it represents a deceased person. Norman Hammond argues that the apparent stylistic differences of the monument stem from its unfinished state rather than its late production.

The eyes of the monument are closed, the nose is flattened and lacks nostrils and the mouth was not sculpted in a realistic manner. The headdress is in the form of a plain horizontal band. The original location of the La Cobata head was not a major archaeological site and it is likely that the head was either abandoned at its source or during transport to its intended destination. Various features of the head suggest that it was unfinished, such as a lack of symmetry below the mouth and an area of rough stone above the base. Rock was not removed from around the earspools as on other heads, and does not narrow towards the base.

Large parts of the monument seem to be roughed out without finished detail. The right hand earspool also appears incomplete; the forward portion is marked with a sculpted line while the rear portion has been sculpted in relief, probably indicating that the right cheek and eye area were also unfinished. The La Cobata head was almost certainly carved from a raw boulder rather than being sculpted from a throne. Takalik Abaj Monument 23 dates to the Middle Preclassic period, [] and is found in Takalik Abaj, an important city in the foothills of the Guatemalan Pacific coast, [38] in the modern department of Retalhuleu. Monument 23 is sculpted from andesite and falls in the middle of the size range for confirmed colossal heads. It stands 1. Like the examples from the Olmec heartland, the monument features a flat back.

Monument 23 was damaged in the mid-twentieth century by a local mason who attempted to break its exposed upper portion using a steel chisel. As a result, the top is fragmented, although the broken pieces were recovered by archaeologists and have been put back into place. All of the 17 confirmed colossal heads remain in Mexico. Five of them are in Sala 1, one is in Sala 2, and one is in Patio 1. On 12 January , [] at least three people, including two Mexicans and one American, entered the Parque-Museo La Venta in Villahermosa and damaged just under 30 archaeological pieces, including the four La Venta colossal heads. It was installed in Belmopan at the roundabout facing the Embassy of Mexico. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Stone representations of human heads from the Olmec civilization.

Main article: Olmec. Monument Q from Tres Zapotes []. Pool , p. Diehl , pp. Cyphers , p. Bibcode : Natur. ISSN PMC PMID Diehl , p. Coe and Koontz , , p. Breiner and Coe , p. Pool , pp. Sala 1, Sala 2, Patio 1. Hammond Funes June It had been there for years or so when, in , workers uncovered it while clearing away jungle trees. A few scholars got a look at it before it was blown to bits in order to make space for a fort to protect the British settlements. The script hasn't been deciphered, but there have been various suggestions for what language it might represent: ancient Ceylonese, Tamil, Kawi, Old Javanese, and Sanskrit. When missionaries got to Easter Island in the s, they found wooden tablets carved with symbols.

They asked the Rapanui natives what the inscriptions meant, and were told that nobody knew anymore, since the Peruvians had killed off all the wise men. The Rapanui used the tablets as firewood or fishing reels, and by the end of the century they were nearly all gone. Rongorongo is written in alternating directions; you read a line from left to right, then turn the tablet degrees and read the next line. This ancient writing system was used more than years ago in what is now Iran. Written from right to left, the script is unlike any other ancient scripts; while the proto-Elamites appear to have borrowed the idea for a written language from their Mesopotamian contemporaries, they apparently invented their own symbols—and didn't bother to keep track of them in an organized way, proto-Elamite expert and Oxford University scholar Jacob Dahl told the BBC in Around that time, he and his Oxford colleagues asked for help from the public in deciphering proto-Elamite.

They released high-quality images of clay tablets covered in Proto-Elamite, hoping that crowdsourcing could decode them. Now a collaboration involving several institutions, the project is ongoing. BY Arika Okrent. Wikimedia Commons. Linear A In , British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans purchased some ancient stones with mysterious inscriptions on them at a flea market in Athens. Cretan Hieroglyphics Wikimedia Commons. Subscribe to our Newsletter!