Olmec Offering Four at La Venta reveals ceremonial arrangement of 16 bald figures

City/town/settlement1500 - 500 BC
The Secret Under Every Olmec Helmet
Source: The Secret Under Every Olmec Helmet by Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

Site mentioned

πŸ“„ La Venta🌍 Show on the globe

Offering Four at La Venta is fascinating β€” 16 small stone figures, ALL bald, arranged in an Olmec ceremony frozen in time ⏳ The leader stands apart; 13 figures are carved in green serpentine, 2 in jadeite, 1 in brownstone β€” possibly marking rank or origin πŸ—Ώ

Key facts:

- Offering Four discovered at La Venta contains 16 small male figures, all depicted as bald, ranging from 15-20 cm in height

- The arrangement shows figures arranged in front of six jade celts set on end

- Materials include 13 serpentine figures, 2 jadeite figures, and 1 brownstone figure

- Different stone colors and materials may indicate different ranks, positions, or foreign versus local status

- All 17 known Olmec colossal heads wear helmets with no visible hair protruding

Key facts

  • Offering Four discovered at La Venta contains 16 jade and stone figures all depicted as bald
  • 12 figures are onlookers, 3 entering in single file, 1 leader figure
  • Leader figure carved from red stone while others are green and tan jadeite
  • Different stone colors may indicate different ranks, positions, or foreign versus local status
  • All 17 Olmec colossal heads wear helmets with no visible hair protruding
  • Arrangement represents Olmec ceremony frozen in time

More about La Venta

Sources

Offering For | James Olescabinetmagazine.org
Offering 4, as it was named, consists of sixteen male figures between fifteen and twenty centimeters in height: thirteen in serpentine, two in jadeite, and ...
Offering #4, La Ventasmarthistory.org
Offering #4 from La Venta is perhaps the most dramatic assemblage of Olmec small stone figures yet discovered.
Colossal Olmec Stone Heads of La Ventacontemporarynomad.com
The head known as Monument 1 at La Venta (lead pic) is almost 8 feet high (2.4 m) and weighs more than 24 tons.
La Venta's Offering 4: Representation of Olmec Ritual Practicescore.tdar.org
Offering 4 at La Venta consists of one brownstone and 15 greenstone human figurines arranged in front of six jade celts set on end.
La Venta: Stone Sculpturemetmuseum.org
La Venta's large stone sculpture was made of basalt from the Tuxtla Mountains far to the north. The Olmec transported these massive basalt boulders by means of ...
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