Maya Hacha
carved stone
c. 800-1300 CE
Mayan culture
Guatemala
An eagle perched on top of a skull.
#precolumbian #mayanculture #Maya #hacha #axe #handmade #carved #stone #guatemala #eagle #skull #sacrificial #ritual #religion #ancientart #mesoamerica #ancientculture #mesoamericanart #mayanart
Funerary mosaic mask
jade, obsidian, shell
c. 600-900 CE
Classic Period, Maya
Mexico
#handmade #carved #jade #obsidian #shell #funeralmask #mask #mayanculture #Maya #mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #art #ancientculture #funerarymask #death #afterlife #underworld #religion #ritual
In Ñuu Savi (Mixtec) and surrounding Mesoamerican cultures like the Zapotec, bat heads symbolize night, death, sacrifice, and the underworld. They are associated with caves—seen as portals to the spirit realm—and act as guardians, representing a connection to ancestors, agricultural protection by eating pests, and transformation. The Mixtec people are one of the oldest and most culturally rich Indigenous groups in southern Mexico. They call themselves Ñuu Savi, meaning People of the Rain in their language, reflecting their spiritual bond with nature and the weather that sustains their crops. Their homeland, known as the Mixteca region, stretches across the highlands of Oaxaca, Puebla, and Guerrero, with misty mountains, fertile valleys, and sacred mountain peaks that shape their identity. The Mixtec are remarkable artisans and storytellers. They create intricate gold jewelry, turquoise mosaics, and beautifully illustrated codices that record their myths and dynasties. Their ancient deerskin manuscripts preserve one of the most complete Indigenous histories in the Americas. Their artistry and craftsmanship were so advanced that Mixtec goldsmiths were highly sought after by other Mesoamerican kingdoms. Even after the Spanish conquest, the Mixtec held on to much of their identity. Their villages remain centers of weaving, pottery, and farming, and their language is still spoken by hundreds of thousands today. The Mixtec story, like the Zapotecs, is one of endurance. They’ve carried their traditions through centuries of change, keeping their rain-soaked mountains and ancestral ways alive in modern Mexico.
Bat head carving
jade
c. 1300-1521 CE
Ñuu Savi culture (aka Mixtec)
Mexico
#handmade #carved #jade #jadeite #bathead #death #transformation #agriculture #rebirth #nuusavi #mixtec #mesoamerican #mexico #ancientculture #ancientart #art #prehispanic #precolumbian #arthistory #culture #religion #bats
This Mochica portrait vessel is an exceptionally realistic ceramic piece that captures the detailed features of a high-status individual, distinguished by its serene and dignified expression, almond-shaped eyes, and prominent nose. The head is adorned with a headdress beautifully decorated with geometric patterns in cream and brown tones, complemented by large ear ornaments that hang down along the sides of the face. At the top, the characteristic stirrup handle and spout are visible - distinctive elements of Moche pottery that fuse functionality with an artistic mastery unparalleled in Pre-Columbian sculptural portraiture.
Stirrup spout vessel
pottery
circa 200-600 CE
Moche culture
Peru
#handmade #ceramic #pottery #portrait #vessel #stirrupspout #mocheculture #peru #prehispanic #precolumbian #ancientart #ancientculture #mochepottery #moche
Seated figure
carved greenstone
900-600 BCE
Olmec culture
Mexico
#handmade #carved #green #stone #seatedfigure #olmec #olmecculture #mesoamerica #ancientmexico #prehispanic #precolumbian #ancientculture #sculpture #art #ancientart #precolumbianjade #nephrite #stone #carvedstone
📣 New Podcast! "Rob McConnell Interviews - DOROTHY CORA MOOR - The Atlanteans and Atlantis" on @Spreaker #ancientculture #ancienthistory #ancientmysteries #archaeologydebate #atlanteans #atlantis #civilization #discovery #dorothycoramoore #exploration #history #legends #lostcivilization #plato
Anthropomorphic pendant depicting the head of a Maya lord shown in profile. The finely carved face is distinguished by a hieratic expression characteristic of elite representations, with full lips, a strongly defined nose, and almond-shaped eyes. The figure wears an elaborate headdress dominated by a stylized animal figure with an elongated snout and a prominent fang. The ear, integrated into the profile, is adorned with a circular ornament. The overall composition, with its deliberately composite and serpentiform forms, does not allow for a precise iconographic identification.
Anthropomorphic pendant
jadeite
600-900 CE
Maya
Late Classic period
Mexico
#handmade #carved #jade #jadeite #pendant #mayaculture #lateclassicperiod #anthropomorphic #design #mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientmexico #mexico #ancientculture #precolumbianjade #oneofakind #jewelrydesign
Ritual Censer
terracotta, pigments, mica
400-700 CE
Teotihuacan Culture
Valley of Mexico
#handmade #terracotta #censer #ritual #religion #humansacrifice #teotihuacan #culture #mexico #mesoamerica #ancientculture
- Nightsky captured in the early '10s on Barngaria country, south coast of Aust. Many interesting & ancient rock formations on that part of land
- #AncientCulture #NatureIsArt #StarWatching
Check out our MINOAN ART TOUR 2026!
isabellascherabon.at/minoan_art_t...
#travelling #art #ancientculture #archaeology
Join us on Zoom for a Salon lecture "Reincarnation: Greco-Roman, Hindu, Buddhist, Perspectives & More" for Ipso Facto by Cal State Fullerton professor Dr. James Rietveld Thurs, Dec. 11, 8pm.
Pay What You Wish.
www.eventbrite.com/e/1774829214...
#history #anthropology #ancientbeliefs #ancientculture
The Chavin culture was a pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the northern Andean high- lands of Peru from around 900 to 200 BC, known for its sophisticated art, religious influence, and engineering. Its ceremonial and pilgrimage cen-ter, Chavin de Huántar, was the source of a religious and cultural cult that spread across a wide area, making it an influential "mother culture" for later Andean civilizations. Key aspects include its religious system, centered on a powerful priesthood and complex multi-sensory rituals; its advanced art, seen in striking stone carvings and textiles; and its engineering skills, evident in the complex architecture of Chavin de Huántar, such as its drainage system.
Jaguar god mask
carved stone
Chavin culture
Peru
1000-700 BCE
#jaguarmask #carved #stone #mask #handmade #art #ancientart #chavinculture #peru #andes #religion #ritual #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientculture #ancientreligion
Chaac is the Mayan god of rain, thunder, and lightning, vital for agriculture and crops like maize. He is depicted holding a lightning axe or snakes, which he uses to strike clouds and bring rain. Chaac is also associated with fertility, is believed to live in caves and cenotes (underground water sources), and has four incarnations associated with the cardinal directions.
Head of the rain god Chaac
carved limestone
circa 10th-11th century
Mayan civilization
Yucatán, Mexico
#Maya #mayanculture #ancientart #precolumbian #prehispanic #mesoamerica #chaac #chahk #godofrain #godoffertility #carved #limestone #handmade #art #sculpture #ancientculture #yucatan #mexico
The Chimu culture was a pre-Inca civilization that flourished on the northern coast of modern-day Peru from approximately 900 to 1470 CE. They were known for their sophisticated hydraulic engineering, complex urban planning, and intricate artistry in metalwork and pottery. Their capital city was the massive adobe metropolis of Chan Chan, a testament to their organized society and engineering prowess.
Chimu pectoral necklace
silver
100-1400 CE
Peru
#chimu #peru #preincan #society #metalwork #silverwork #metalsmith #precolumbian #prehispanic #chimuculture #chanchan #silver #pectoral #necklace #art #ancientart #ancientculture
This is such a cool video that covers so many cultures that Christians wiped out where homosexuality and transgender people were normal for millennia, and then just erased by the most repressive cultures in history.
#Interesting #History #AncientCulture #LGBTQ+
youtube.com/watch?v=AqrA...
What sort of object might this be? The material and compact, pan-friendly form point toward a trade weight rather than a toy or ornament. From the late third to early second millennium BC, Mesopotamian merchants and administrators favored hematite for weights because it is dense, tough, and hard to tamper with. Many weights were simple cylinders, but animal shapes also circulated in the Bronze Age marketplace. Surviving sets show the spectrum from plain barrel forms to ducks and frogs, all meant to sit steadily on a balance pan.
Grasshopper carving
hematite
Old Babylonian
c. 1800-1700 BCE
#ancientculture #babylonia #1800BCE #carved #carving #hematite #grasshopper #carvedstone #ancientart #art #weight #measure #trade #bronzeage #marketplace
6,000-Year-Old Chewing Gum Reveals Clues on Neolithic Gender Roles #Science #Biology #Archaeology #NeolithicStudies #GenderRoles #AncientCulture
The Olmec "were-jaguar" motif refers to a hybrid human-jaguar figure that represents the powerful connection between humans and the jaguar in their mythology. It is often interpreted as a symbol of spiritual power, shamanic transformation, and authority, representing deities, rulers, or a shaman in the process of shifting between human and animal forms. The meaning is associated with rain, fertility, and the spiritual world, influencing later Mesoamerican cultures like the Maya and Aztecs.
Were-Jaguar mask
carved green stone
Olmec culture
Mexico
c. 1000 BCE
#ancientculture #olmec #mexico #handmade #carved #greenstone #werejaguarmask #werejaguar #mesoamerica #culture #shaman #spiritualpower #fertility #rain #spiritualworld
2️⃣2️⃣ Beyond their physical beauty, burial jars connect us to ancient ideas of life, death, and the afterlife, showing complex spiritual beliefs and long-distance trade links between India, mainland Southeast Asia, and island cultures. #AncientCulture
The Valdivia culture is one of the oldest settled cultures recorded in the Americas. It thrived along the coast of Santa Elena peninsula in Santa Elena Province of Ecuador between 3500 BCE and 1500 BCE. The Valdivia lived in a community that built its houses in a circle or oval around a central plaza. They were believed to have a relatively egalitarian culture of sedentary people who lived mostly from fishing, though they did some farming and occasionally hunted for deer to supplement their diet. From the archeological remains that have been found, it has been determined that Valdivians cultivated maize, kidney beans, squash, cassava, chili peppers and cotton plants. The latter was processed, spun and woven to make clothing. Valdivian pottery, dated to 2700 BCE, initially was rough and practical, but it became splendid, delicate and large over time. They generally used red and gray colors, and the polished dark red pottery is characteristic of the Valdivia period. In their ceramics and stone works, the Valdivia culture shows a progression from the most simple to much more complicated works. The trademark Valdivia piece is the "Venus" of Valdivia: feminine ceramic figures. The "Venus" of Valdivia likely represented actual people, as each figurine is individual and unique, as expressed in the hairstyles. The figures were made joining two rolls of clay, leaving the lower portion separated as legs and making the body and head from the top portion. The arms were usually very short, and in most cases were bent towards the chest, holding the breasts or under the chin.
Zoomorphic figure
pottery
Valdivia culture
Ecuador
3500-1500 BCE
Looks like a robot to me...
#valdivia #ecuador #ancientculture #ancientamerica #anthropology #archeology #valdiviaobject
#zoomorphicfigure #handmade #stone #robot
#writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #writer #poet #photo #ancientculture #prehistoric #animals #rockpaintings #earlyhumans #science #adventure #travel #adventure
https://archive.org/details/marinearchaeolog00raos/page/14/mode/1up
The earliest "cruise" party
400-600 CE
Ajanta Caves, India, where ancient murals depict vibrant gatherings along serene riverbanks.
#Archaeology #AncientCulture
Fashionista
3000 BCE
Bharat's ancient elegance, where intricate jewelry and vibrant textiles adorned early civilizations.
#Archaeology #AncientCulture #TimelessStyle
The world's oldest known joke dates back to 1900 BCE in ancient Sumeria. It was... a fart joke! Humor hasn't changed much in 4,000 years. #HumorHistory #AncientCulture
Chupicuaro was a very important site in western Mexico during the pre-Classical period; today it is covered by the waters of the Solis dam, located near Acámbaro or Guanajuato, which gave its name to the culture to which this piece belongs. It is through this type of mask that we can observe the customs of this people, for example, facial painting and the use of ornaments such as earrings. Ceramic work was the main Chupicuaro craft: pottery was used for domestic service as much as for funeral offerings, or for trade and barter with neighbouring peoples; it reveals great initiative and a great sense of form and design. Found in large quantities, the ceramics from this site are among the finest in Mesoamerica.
Mask
terracotta
Chupicuaro culture
circa -300 BCE - 400 CE
Michoacan, Mexico
#mesoamerica #mesoamerican #mexico
#michoacán #mexicanart #ancienthistory #ancientculture
#ancientcivilization #arthistory #precolumbian #precolumbianart #prehispanic #chupicuaro #mask #ceramic #terracotta
'Two faced' earthenware fragment, thought to be part of a much larger figure originally, from the Remojadas culture of ancient Mexico. It is believed that the two faces express a dualistic philosophy or religion of the culture similar to the Yin/Yang of Taoism in Chinese culture. The culture of Remojadas flourished on the Gulf coast of Veracruz (Mexico) between 100 BC.-800 AD. and is considered part of the much larger Classic Veracruz culture, and with roots in the ancient Olmec culture nearby.
Earthenware fragment
300-600 CE
Remojadas culture
Mexico
#remojadas #precolumbian #prehispanic #mesoamerica #mexico #earthenware #twoface #dualistic #philosophy #religion #ancientculture
