Olmec civilization
E29522
The Olmec civilization was an early Mesoamerican culture, flourishing around 1500–400 BCE, renowned for its colossal stone heads, complex religious iconography, and foundational influence on later civilizations like the Maya and Aztec.
All labels observed (9)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Olmec civilization canonical | 31 |
| Olmec | 8 |
| Olmec culture | 2 |
| Olmec horizon | 2 |
| Olmec (historical) | 1 |
| Olmec art style | 1 |
| Olmec builders | 1 |
| Olmec civilization (linguistic and cultural links debated) | 1 |
| Olmecs | 1 |
Statements (56)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Mesoamerican civilization
ⓘ
ancient civilization ⓘ archaeological culture ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Olmec civilization
ⓘ
surface form:
Olmecs
|
| archaeologicalCultureDefined | 20th century ⓘ |
| artStyle |
baby-face figurines
ⓘ
naturalistic human figures ⓘ were-jaguar motifs ⓘ |
| chronologicalPhase |
Early Formative
ⓘ
Late Formative ⓘ Middle Formative ⓘ |
| colossalHeadsMaterial | basalt ⓘ |
| continent | North America ⓘ |
| coreArea |
Gulf Coast of Mexico
ⓘ
southern Veracruz ⓘ western Tabasco ⓘ |
| countryToday | Mexico ⓘ |
| culturalLegacy |
foundational to later Mesoamerican iconography
ⓘ
possible origin of Mesoamerican ballgame traditions ⓘ |
| economy |
fishing and hunting
ⓘ
long-distance trade ⓘ maize agriculture ⓘ |
| endTime | circa 400 BCE ⓘ |
| influenced |
Aztec Empire
ⓘ
surface form:
Aztec civilization
Epi-Olmec culture ⓘ Maya civilization ⓘ Zapotec civilization ⓘ |
| knownFor |
colossal stone heads
ⓘ
complex religious iconography ⓘ early Mesoamerican writing experiments ⓘ early use of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar precursors ⓘ monumental stone sculpture ⓘ |
| languageFamilyHypothesis | Mixe–Zoquean languages ⓘ |
| majorSite |
La Venta
ⓘ
Laguna de los Cerros ⓘ San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán ⓘ Tres Zapotes ⓘ |
| name | Olmec civilization self-link ⓘ |
| numberOfKnownColossalHeadsApprox | 17 ⓘ |
| period | Formative period of Mesoamerica ⓘ |
| politicalOrganization |
chiefdoms
ⓘ
early complex society ⓘ |
| region | Mesoamerica ⓘ |
| religion | polytheism ⓘ |
| religiousMotif |
jaguar deity
ⓘ
maize deity ⓘ rain and fertility deities ⓘ |
| startTime | circa 1500 BCE ⓘ |
| technology |
drainage systems
ⓘ
earthen platform construction ⓘ stone carving ⓘ |
| tradedGood |
ceramics
ⓘ
hematite ⓘ jade ⓘ obsidian ⓘ |
| writingSystemStatus | disputed early writing ⓘ |
Referenced by (48)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Olmec (historical)
this entity surface form:
Olmecs
this entity surface form:
Olmec
this entity surface form:
Olmec
this entity surface form:
Olmec culture
this entity surface form:
Olmec art style
this entity surface form:
Olmec
subject surface form:
Great Pyramid at La Venta
subject surface form:
Great Pyramid at La Venta
this entity surface form:
Olmec
this entity surface form:
Olmec horizon
this entity surface form:
Olmec builders
subject surface form:
Great Plaza (La Venta)
this entity surface form:
Olmec horizon
this entity surface form:
Olmec culture
this entity surface form:
Olmec
this entity surface form:
Olmec
this entity surface form:
Olmec civilization (linguistic and cultural links debated)