Olmec Book Reviews

If you’re interested in their civilization, these Olmec book reviews should be quite helpful in picking the right source of information for this topic. While the particularities of the Olmec civilization are only partially known right now, there are some things that have been discovered, and these Olmec book reviews will show you which ones deserve buying.

The Olmecs – America’s First Civilization

Olmec Book ReviewsThe oldest civilization in America is the Olmec one, which is also known as the mother culture of Mesoamerica. Their most famous art is the giant boulders known as Colossal Heads. The interest in the Olmec culture begun in the middle of the 20th century, when National Geographic reported on their culture and the initial findings of the archeologists. Even though they found beautiful jade objects, sculptures made out of basalt and pottery which was beautifully decorated, we didn’t know much about the history of the Olmecs. Recently, more information was discovered on the civilization of the Olmecs and we now have a much more complete picture of their culture and how they influenced civilizations from Mexico.

In the first of the Olmec book reviews, you will read about the Olmecs, in the form of an overview of their culture and of the recent findings and studies of the art they created. Besides information on the Olmec culture, life and art, it also talks about the presence of the Olmecs in areas near Mexico and how they contributed to the formation of the civilization of the Mesoamerican pre-Columbian. The book comes with a large number of illustrations, 152 in total, out of which 20 are in color.

The Mystery of the Olmecs

The culture of the Olmecs was considered a mystery for a long time, and that’s what impressed the author and made him pay more attention to it. They were first known as a culture in 1942, when a number of archaeologists met in Mexico City. Since then, the Olmecs have gained recognition as the Mesoamerica mother culture, responsible for the invention of writing, metallurgy and of the calendar before the Mayans. If one would take a look at the Olmec statues, they would see features that show them originating from Asia, Europe and Africa. This book takes a look at the evidence of a trade route which supposedly connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans through the narrow Mexican isthmus from the south.

Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica

Starting from 1500 BC, the Olmec civilization lasted until 500 BC, in the area of the Mexican Gulf Coast. It was an extremely complex civilization, in the Mesoamerican area, of which there is proof which shows that they had great art and monuments. This book takes a look at the Olmec civilization, the social diversity of the area and the details of the archaeological finds and the economy, organization and ideologies of this culture. It also analyzes how the Olmecs influenced the civilizations from Mesoamerica that followed.

Olmec Art and Archaeology in Mesoamerica

In this Olmec book review you will read about the creations of the Olmec civilization and how they were found. The style of the Olmecs was one based on monumental heads made out of stone and jaguars made out of jade. They are known as precursors of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. With its help, you will be able to better understand the Olmec art and history, by analyzing the recent archaeology finds. The Olmec civilization had its main base near the Mexican Gulf and its origins are dated as back as 1500 BC.