Olmec Civilization

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Olmec Civilization is an ancient civilization reconstructed from settlements, texts, artifacts, chronology, environment, and exchange. Interpretation rests on trade network and geographic extent, because disturbed context, uncertain dating, or incomplete preservation can change the conclusion.

Evidence relevant to Olmec Civilization is organized around chronology and regional variation; settlement and urban organization; and material culture. The treatment of material culture keeps inscriptions or archives separate from radiometric and comparative dating until their assumptions and scales are compared; confidence is limited by the fact that surviving evidence is uneven and later narratives can oversimplify social diversity.