The Kunz Axe is a votive axe that is associated with the Olmec culture. It was found in the hills of Oaxaca, Mexico by George Kunz in 1890. The axe appears to be dating around 800-500 BC, which is part of the Middle Formative period. Although this artifact is considered an axe, it does not mean that this was its function. The votive axe appears more of a sculpture and it is “more likely that it was used in ritual settings” (Milner Library, n.d.). The material that was used to made this artifact is jade. Because the artifact was made out of jade, it is believed that it was “reserved for the adornment of gods and royalty” (The Met, n.d.). The Kunz Axe has a blue green color and it is about eleven inches high. It appears to depict a human with
a jaguar-shaped mouth. The eyes are almond shaped, has a small nose and long ears. Because of the jaguar-shaped mouth, it is believed that the figure represents “a chief or shaman who has transformed himself into a powerful jaguar to draw on its power” (American Museum of Natural History, n.d.). The artifact appears to be in good condition. Only a small chunk of the shoulder is missing and it has some cracks on the head. Even though it has some damage, the figure can be seen clearly. The Kunz axe is now located at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It is usually featured in the Hall of Mexico and Central America but as of now it is currently on loan.
...ts were labelled with the upper case letters which represented the material types and a numeric letter. The artifacts were placed in different boxes. The artifact analysis was then conducted and the characteristics such as tool type and material type of each artifact were recorded on the artifact catalog forms. The material samples of lithic tools, faunal remains, and ceramics remains were compare with existing artifacts to identify their material type. The Vernier scale was used for the measurements of each lithic tools.
At the time when humans were learning to use spears constructed out of sticks and stones and the
The ‘Green Tara 14th century’ is a metal sculpture which is about 10 inches tall and 6 inches wide. It is very precisely detailed with the clothes, head piece, earings, necklaces and other types of jewellery all intricately carved. The
Most notably in Mesoamerica are the colossal Olmec heads. These heads are carved of basalt, weigh about ten tons and are between six and ten feet tall. What makes them notable is that the nearest source of basalt for the Olmecs was 60 miles away in the Tuxtla Mountains. In Peru, South America, the Nasca culture drew over 800 miles of complex lines on the top of the Nasca Plain. The creators of these networks made these lines by removing the dark top layer of stones to expose the light clay and calcite layer below. Art historians are unsure what these lines were for or even how these ancient peoples could create such seemingly perfect straight lines for such a distance. In the North American cultures, burial and effigy mounds were very common. The Serpent Mound in modern day Ohio was created by the Mississippian Culture, also well known for Monk’s Mound in Illinois. Unlike Monk’s Mound however, Serpent Mound was not for burial nor religious practices. Therefor the purpose for this mound is unknown, though some have hypothesized that the curves of the mound could be replicating the path of Halley’s Comet in
The Old Temple was built during the late Initial Period and it was the “center of supernatural power and authority.” It was a U-shaped platform opening to the east with a circular courtyard in the center. The Old Temple also consisted of numerous passageways and chambers underground called galleries. These galleries were used for storage chambers, religious rites, and possibly temporary or permanent living for small groups working with temple activities. The Lanzon Gallery is located at the very center of the Old Temple. It was where the sculpture of the Lanzon was found. The Lanzon, the supreme deity of Chavin de Huantar, is anthropomorphic. With its feline head and human body, it has intertwined the feline deity of Chavin de Huantar and the shaman of the pre-Chavin period.
This Cactus Stirrup vessel was created by the Chavin. This was made in Peru, and sometime between 900 and 200 BC. These vessels were used for looks. This Cactus vessel is a Tembladera-style. The material this vessel is made out of is gold and ceramic Chavin ancient artifacts. The purpose of this vessel was that it was a the Chavin's gold crown. Also, it served as feline, the Cactus Stirrup
This can be seen in archaeological digs in the area which have uncovered many pig and cattle bones, as well as flint arrowheads, pottery and lithic debris. These findings suggest ...
The Toltec civilization was one of the greatest Mesoamerican civilizations, prospering between 900 to 1150 CE. The Toltecs preceded the legendary Aztec civilization in Mesoamerica, who regarded them as their “great intellectual and cultural predecessors” (ancient.eu). They played a key role in maintaining the Mesoamerican culture that was passed down by several older civilizations including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, and Mayan civilizations. Much of what is known about the ancient Toltecs is derived from Aztec along with other Mesoamerican texts which document even older oral descriptions of historical events. The accuracy of these events, especially that of the Aztecan documents, has been questioned due to the tendency of the civilization to hyperbolize the feats of the Toltecs by combining historical truths with cultural myths. However, it cannot be argued that the Toltec civilization was vital in preserving the culture and ideology of the Mesoamerican region.
Olmec of Mexico – The Olmec civilization prospered in Pre-Classical Mesoamerica from and is generally considered the precursor of all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures such as the Maya and Aztecs. Centered in the Gulf of Mexico their influences and trade stretched as far as Nicaragua. Sacred complexes, massive stone sculpture, ball games, as well as animal gods were features of Olmec culture which would be passed on to all those who followed the Mesoamerican civilization.
The piece selected to be analyzed has color variations ranging from light to dark brown. Small pieces can easily be flaked off with light handling, showing that it is not very durable. There was visible cracking throughout the piece and, in one place, half of the wood was missing which revealed the inner part of the artifact. This artifact was likely used for the construction of various everyday items, such as baskets, tools, weapons, and other equipment. It could also have been a part of the Native Americans' diet or had medicinal purposes.
Forgotten and lost, this city laid wrapped in vegetation, covered with forest it once commanded. Its temples as side trees, webbed with vines, and walls of ferns. Tropical rain lashing at the crumbling surfaces of stone architecture built by armies of workers. The darkness of the night guided by owls and the day by parrot shrieks. Statues of gods lay along the remaining stone hedges. It was not till 1839 the American lawyer John Lloyd Stephens and English artist Fredrick Caterwood, rediscovered the magnificence of the Tikal Mayan civilization. Development in the Mayan society began with hunters and gatherers leading to sedentary life and agriculture. Then early Maya civic then the highest point of the Tikal at middle Maya civilization.
Historians maybe interested in Otzi the iceman because of his types and age of his tools and weapons. First we will start out talking about how historians maybe interested in Otzi’s tools. Otzi copper axe is one of the most talked about tool. The axe was made from a trunk of a yew tree that had a right angled branch on it. The copper blade was fitted at the end of the right angel and was secured with leather bindings and was coated with birch tar. The main reason historian may think this axe is interesting because the axe was made from the trunk of a yew tree instead of an ash tree which most copper axe where made up at this time. The next tool is Otzi’s backpack. All thou only pieces were found of Otzi’s backpack some pieces that were found
This Olmec stone mask, from sometime between 900 – 400 B.C. was most likely worn around the neck as a pendant (due to its small size) or in a headdress, and was thought to give the wearer a new identity, perhaps that of an ancestor or god. The mask is carved out of a dark green stone called serpentinite and there are two Olmec glyphs (picture signs) on either side of the mouth.
Ranney, Edward. Stonework of the Maya. 1st ed. universityf new mexio press alburquerque: the meriden gravure company, 1974. 1-76. Print.
Bridging the gap between past and present and bestowing archaeological record in more coherent, and systematically was provided by Binford in the 1970. He is regarded as the prominent processual archaeologist and envisioned ethnoarchaeology as the rightful methodological heir for elucidating archaeological problems scientifically.