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Bell Ringer

Explore the fascinating rise of the Olmecs, one of the first groups in Mesoamerica to develop large ceremonial complexes. Learn about their characteristic traits, influence on later civilizations, socio-political structure, and religious practices.

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Bell Ringer

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  1. Bell Ringer Turn in your homework on the little desk in front of my desk.

  2. The Olmec SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  3. SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  4. Who were the Olmec? • One of the first groups in Mesoamerica to develop large ceremonial complexes were the Olmec, who lived in what are the states of Veracruz and Tabasco, along the tropical coast of the Gulf of Mexico. • Farmers harvested maize and other crops twice a year. • Others built and embellished temples SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  5. Characteristic Traits • The first Mesoamerica people to carve bas-reliefs and statues in the round, the Olmec created giant basalt heads, mote than 8 feet high and weighing 20 tons or more. • Believed to be actual portraits of specific individuals • Also known for carving smaller pieces, such as ceremonial axes, jewelry , and figurine from jade and other semiprecious stones • Combined humans and jaguars in art and statues SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  6. Influence • Because of cultural traits found in later civilizations in Mexico and Central America, they are often referred to as the "Mother Culture“ • Among the first to play the Mesoamerican ball game, a ritual that had profound religious overtones. • Olmec means "people of the place with rubber" • They began manufacturing rubber balls as early as 1200BCE, eventually exporting them through Mesoamerica. • They had rudimentary writing, the form of glyphs using dots and dashes thought to be calendar notations. SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  7. Jade Olmec Figure Jade Axe Were-Jaguar SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  8. Ceramic Human Figure Duck Figure SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  9. Thrones/Altars Altar #4 La Venta Monument #19 La Venta Altar #5 La Venta SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  10. Tortillas Although Mesoamericans had eaten maize for several millennia, it was in the form of roasted ears or a gruel known as atole, both of which were perishable and not easily portable. Production--grinding the maize and shaping it into flat pancakes and toasting them on the ceramic griddle called a comal--was highly intensive labor, usually performed by women. Comal lasted for several days and were easily transported. SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  11. Socio-Political Structure • Class system • Elite-commoner class system • Elite • Commanded resources from commoners who grew maize • Developed long distance trade in obsidian, jade, cacao, and other items that helped spread influence. SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  12. Ruler: There was not one centralized ruler. Rather, there were multiple rulers of rival city-states. The rulers led any military operations against rival states. SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  13. Olmec Priests: They probably had several duties: scribes, calendar makers, and overseers of rituals in the religious temple complexes. They were experts in the stories of the gods including the were-jaguar. SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  14. Religion • Worshiped the alligator, representing the earth and the shark, representing the sea. Elites added the serpent as a symbol of rule, along with were-jaguars SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  15. Calendar • The epi-Olmec - from 31B.C. - the peoples who subsequently inhabited the same lands and were probably descended at least in part from the Olmec, seem to have been the earliest users of the bar and dot system of recording time. • The low relief on this stone shows the detail from a four-digit numerical recording, read as 15.6.16.18. The vigesimal (or base-20) counting system has been used across Mesoamerica. • A value of 5 is represented by a bar, and a value of 1 is represented by a dot, such that the three bars and single dot here stands for 16. The Maya would later adopt this counting system for their Long Count calendar. The date in this relief is the oldest recorded date in Mesoamerica, corresponding to a day in the year 31 B.C. Detail of Long Count Date http://www.crystalinks.com/olmec.html SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  16. San Lorenzo, Veracruz • Oldest Olmec site • Occupied by 1500 B.C. • Site of massive public construction begun about 1350 BCE • Drainage system • Ball courts • Stone Heads • Pottery found from earliest period • "Pudgy babies" • Monumental sculptures not until 1250 B.C. • Ended around 900 B.C., and all monoliths intentionally mutilated or buried. SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

  17. End of Olmec? • Around 600 B.C. building and expansion of Olmecs ended. • Revolution of working class? • External pressures? SSWH1 Analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of societies in the ancient world from 3500 BCE/BC to 500 BCE/BC. e. Explain the rise of the Olmecs.

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