Hands

Explore the British Museum collection and journey through two million years of human history.

Olmec Dwarfs

The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian people living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, roughly in what are the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Their immediate cultural influence, however, extends beyond this region (Olmec artwork has been documented as far as El Salvador). The Olmec flourished during the Formative (or Preclassic), dating from 1200 BCE to about 400 BCE, and are believed to have been the progenitor civilization of later...

mascara olmeca

The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian people living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, roughly in what are the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Their immediate cultural influence, however, extends beyond this region (Olmec artwork has been documented as far as El Salvador). The Olmec flourished during the Formative (or Preclassic), dating from 1200 BCE to about 400 BCE, and are believed to have been the progenitor civilization of later...

Maijishan Grottoes are located in Tianshui, Gansu Province, and are one of China's most famous Buddhist grotto art repositories. Dating back to the Later Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the grottoes have been continuously renovated and expanded for over 1,600 years. There are now 221 caves and niches of various sizes, 3,938 pieces of sculptures with 10,632 figures, and nearly 1,000 square meters of murals. The Maijishan Grottoes are renowned for their exquisite clay sculptures...

Kerr Portfolio Hi-Resolution

Olmec Greenstone Mask Middle Preclassic, ca. 900-600 B.C. the naturalistic portrait of a ruler or dignitary of youthful form, the full lips finely sculpted revealing upper teeth, a dimpled chin, brows curving down to the fleshy nose, and swelling lower lids beneath the oval eyes, the rectangular ear flanges incised with scroll motifs; piereced at the top and below the ears for suspension, in veined bright greenstone.

Olmec greenstone mask, Puebla region, Middle Preclassic period, 900-600 B.C.

pre-colombian mask