The Early Olmec and Mesoamerica: The Material Record - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1107107679 ISBN 13: 9781107107670

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2017

Synopsis

The Early Formative Olmec are central in a wide variety of debates regarding the development of Mesoamerican societies. A fundamental issue in Olmec archaeology is the nature of interregional interaction among contemporaneous societies and the possible Olmec role in it. Previous debates have often not been informed by recent research and data, often relying on materials lacking archaeological context. In order to approach these issues from new perspectives, this book introduces readers to the full spectrum of the material culture of the Olmec and their contemporaries, relying primarily on archaeological data, much of which has not been previously published. For the first time, using a standard lexicon to consider the nature of the interaction among Early Formative societies, the authors, experts in diverse regions of Mesoamerican art and archaeology, provide carefully considered contrasts and comparisons that advance the understanding of the Early Formative origins of social complexity in Mesoamerica.

About this title

Book Description:

This book offers a critical synthesis of the material culture of the Olmec and their contemporaries. It highlights new discoveries and analyses that show the complexity and diversity of what has been called 'America's first civilization'.

About the Author:

Jeffrey P. Blomster is Associate Professor at George Washington University, Washington DC.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1107107679
• ISBN 13: 9781107107670
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 356
• Editor: Blomster Jeffrey P., Cheetham David