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Name : Olmec colossal heads
What they are : A serial of massive chief that were each carved out of a single basalt boulder , often transported from miles away , during the Olmec civilisation , anagricultural Mesoamerican cultureand the earlier known order in what is now Mexico . Each of these bring down artifact averages about 10 base ( 3 metre ) tall and weighs 8 tons ( 7.3 metrical tons ) . Artisans used Harlan Fisk Stone tool to shape them , tote up in inside information such as pupils in the eyes and dimples in the nerve , chins and lip , before paint the piece in shining colors , according to theWorld History Encyclopedia .
Two of the Olmec heads are on display at the Jalapa Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa, Mexico.
Where they were determine : Mexico , specifically in Tres Zapotes in Veracruz , and the Gulf Coast
When they were made : 1200 to 400 B.C.
What they tell us about the past : Of the 17 have it off Olmec colossal heads found across Mexico , no two look likewise . For instance , one is decorated with a poll engrave with jaguar paw print while another wear a headdress . This has lead archaeologists to intend that each of the massive statues depicts a specific ruler .
While it rest a mystery whose likeness the heads impersonate , one research worker name a single statue , have a go at it as Colossal Head 5 , as a second - millennium B.C. ruler from San Lorenzo , the oldest know Olmec city .
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However , archaeologist have yet to find any burials at San Lorenzo , and the few known instances of Olmec writing remain undeciphered , so the identity of the region ’s rule and resident physician remains unknown , according to theMetropolitan Museum of Artin New York City .
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It ’s indecipherable how the Olmec used the sculpture , however some researchers think that citizen would move the sculpture to different spots in the city during crucial rituals . They may have also used them as marker to establish dominance or political office , or even for protection , according to the World History Encyclopedia . For example , in the Olmec city of La Venta , archeologist discovered four heads positioned on the N and south sides of the metropolis . But instead of facing toward the city pith , the heads looked outward as if they were guarding it from intruders .
Around 900 B.C. , some of the header in La Venta were bury , possibly as a ritual to move onward into the future tense . However , some researcher conceive that the burial pass nearer to when the heads were farm as either a way to hero-worship ancestors or in a move to " neutralize the dead ruler ’s power , " according to the World History Encyclopedia .
