Olmec Civilization Assessment - B
Olmec Civilization Assessment - B
Olmec Civilization Assessment - B
Olmec Civilization
Assessment B
Q: What did the olmecs build sculptures of? Why? (4 pts, 2pts per question)
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Q: What materials did the Olmecs get from the Tuxtlas Mountains and what did they use it for? (4
pts; 2 pts per question)
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Q: Please explain what the Olmecs had to trade and what they traded for? (4pts; 2 pts per question)
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Name ______________________ Group _________ Date ________ Assessment B
Q: What is linguistics? How did it influence what we know about the Olmecs? (4pts; 2 pts per
question)
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Q: Please list at least 4 gods and why they were important to the Olmec people. (8pts; 2 pts per
god).
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For a start, the Olmecs left behind much of their artwork. The most famous of these are arguably the
so-called colossal heads. These representations of human heads are carved from basalt boulders,
and at present, at least seventeen of such objects have been found. The colossal heads measure
between one and three metres in height, and seem to represent a common subject, i.e. mature men
with fleshy cheeks, flat noses, and slightly crossed eyes. Incidentally, such physical features are still
common amongst the people of Veracruz and Tabasco, indicating the colossal heads may be
representations of the Olmecs themselves. Given the amount of resources needed to produce such
objects, it may be speculated that these heads depict the Olmec elites or rulers, and were used as a
symbol of power