People have always been interested in ancient civilizations and their incredible ability to create megaliths. One such mystery is the carved stone heads of the Olmec civilization found in Mexico. These ancient giant sculptures depict the heads of people with flat noses, slightly slanted eyes and chubby cheeks. At the moment, seventeen mysterious stone heads have been excavated, but no one knows why they are located in one place or another, why they were made and how they were brought to the places where they are now found.
Location of giant heads / Photo: indiansworld.org
The first archaeological studies of the Olmec civilization date back to 1938. Oddly enough, these expeditions began to be carried out quite a long time after the discovery of the first giant head in 1862 at Tres Zapotes.
Monument to La Venta 2
Seventeen giant Olmec stone heads have been found in four locations along the Gulf Coast, where the Olmec civilization once flourished.
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Unfinished Colossal Head of La Venta 3
Most of the Olmec stone heads were carved from round boulders, except for the two huge heads from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, which were carved into giant stone thrones. Curiously, another monument, the massive stone throne that is located at Takalik Abah in Guatemala, may have been carved the other way around - from a colossal head.
Monument A from Tres Sapotes
This monumental throne is the only known example of such a carving, which was not found in 4 places where stone heads were found. The exact age of these colossal heads has yet to be fully established. Scientists examined four places where the Olmec heads were found - San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes and Rancho la Cobata, to get an idea of how they are related.
Head from Rancho la Cobata in the main square of Santiago Tuxtla
The monumental heads at San Lorenzo were buried around 900 BC, but there is clear evidence that they were created much earlier. Interestingly, despite the fact that (according to scientists) the San Lorenzo heads are the oldest of all, they amaze with their perfect carvings.
Monument Q in Tres-Zapotes
Dating elsewhere is more complicated - the sculptures at Tres Zapotes were moved from their original site before they were examined by archaeologists, and the heads at La Venta were partially excavated and recovered from the ground when they were discovered. Thus, the actual period of creation of giant Olmec heads can span both a hundred and a thousand years.
Stone head at the Museo Comunitario de San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan
All Olmec stone heads are from the early pre-classical Mesoamerican period (1500 BC - 1000 BC), although two heads in Tres Zapotes and one head from Rancho la Cobata are recognized the middle of the pre-classical period (1000 BC - 400 BC). Basically, the Olmec civilization was located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico on an area of about 275 km along the coast and 100 km inland (now there are two modern Mexican states of Tabasco and Veracruz on this site.
Olmec stone head No. 10 from La Venta. Installed in Villahermosa
The Olmec civilization is considered the first "major" culture in Mesoamerica - it existed in this area of Mexico between 1500 BC. and 400 BC As one of the "Six Cradle of Civilization" in the world, the Olmec civilization is the only one that developed in the rainforest. It is believed that the carving and placement of each colossal stone head had to be approved and coordinated by the Olmec rulers.
Head # 8 from San Lorenzo. It is installed in the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa
Also, the construction had to be carefully planned, taking into account the efforts associated with obtaining the necessary resources and labor. Thus, it seems that only the most influential Olmecs could afford this. In terms of labor, not only sculptors were needed, but boatmen, carpenters, overseers and other artisans were needed to help create and move the sculpture.
Head # 1 from San Lorenzo
In addition to this, the personnel needed to feed all the workers were also needed. It was also necessary to take into account the seasonal cycles and the water level in the rivers in order to plan the production of huge sculptures. In fact, the entire project, from start to finish, could have taken years. An archaeological examination of the Olmec creations suggests how exactly these stone heads were made.
Head # 7 from San Lorenzo at the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa
First, the boulders were first roughly processed, chipping off both large and small fragments of rock. Then finer carvings were made using a sculpted hammer. In the final stage, abrasive materials were used for grinding. The stone heads of the Olmecs are distinguished by the fact that they usually had meticulously carved faces, and were much less scrupulous about the details of headdresses and ornaments on the ears.
Head # 6 from San Lorenzo at the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa
All seventeen stone heads were carved from basalt stone quarried in the Sierra de los Tuxlas in the state of Veracruz. These boulders were found in areas affected by large volcanic landslides, which "pulled" huge boulders down the mountain slopes. The Olmecs carefully selected the boulders, which were originally spherical in order to make them easier to give the appearance of a human head. Then the boulders were transported from the mountain slopes to a distance of up to 150 km.
Head # 2 from San Lorenzo at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City
Modern scientists are perplexed how the Olmecs could transport such huge masses of basalt, especially since they did not have draft animals, and this civilization did not use the wheel. Olmec heads vary in weight from six to fifty tons, and in height from about 1.5 to 3.65 meters. The back of these stone monuments was often flattened.
Head # 4 from San Lorenzo during an exhibition at the Young Museum in San Francisco
This led scientists to speculate that the heads were originally propped against the wall while the carvers were working. All giant stone Olmec heads have unique headdresses. It is assumed that the Olmecs made (naturally, in life, and not on sculptures) such headdresses from animal skins or fabric.
Head # 3 from San Lorenzo
Some of the stone heads even show a knot tied at the back of the head, while others have feathers on their headdresses. Also, most heads have large earrings in the earlobes. All heads are realistic replicas of men. It is likely that they were sculptures of famous Olmec rulers. All 17 stone heads are permanently found in Mexico, mostly in anthropology museums.
By maerials: thevintagenews.com