Celt 10th-4th century B.C. Olmec An Olmec sculptor created this celt, or axe, from a high-quality, blue-green jadeite. The petaloid (petal-shaped) celt was masterfully rounded and polished before likely being buried in a dedicatory assemblage. The color and shape of the stone, as well as the reference to a functional axe in this ceremonial object, reference maize agriculture. Jadeite celts symbolized sprouts of maize in Olmec imagery, concepts that were shared by societies in what is now Chiapas and Guatemala after about 1000 B.C. When planted” in dedicatory caches, the makers of celts may have called for growth of their communities as they would hope for in a productive field of maize. Further readingBenson, Elizabeth P., and Beatriz de la Fuente, eds. Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1996. Berrin, Kathleen, and Virginia M. Fields, eds. Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2010. Cheeth

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Celt 10th-4th century B.C. Olmec An Olmec sculptor created this celt, or axe, from a high-quality, blue-green jadeite. The petaloid (petal-shaped) celt was masterfully rounded and polished before likely being buried in a dedicatory assemblage. The color and shape of the stone, as well as the reference to a functional axe in this ceremonial object, reference maize agriculture. Jadeite celts symbolized sprouts of maize in Olmec imagery, concepts that were shared by societies in what is now Chiapas and Guatemala after about 1000 B.C. When planted” in dedicatory caches, the makers of celts may have called for growth of their communities as they would hope for in a productive field of maize. Further readingBenson, Elizabeth P., and Beatriz de la Fuente, eds. Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1996. Berrin, Kathleen, and Virginia M. Fields, eds. Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2010. Cheeth

SuperStock offers millions of photos, videos, and stock assets to creatives around the world. This image of Celt 10th-4th century B.C. Olmec An Olmec sculptor created this celt, or axe, from a high-quality, blue-green jadeite. The petaloid (petal-shaped) celt was masterfully rounded and polished before likely being buried in a dedicatory assemblage. The color and shape of the stone, as well as the reference to a functional axe in this ceremonial object, reference maize agriculture. Jadeite celts symbolized sprouts of maize in Olmec imagery, concepts that were shared by societies in what is now Chiapas and Guatemala after about 1000 B.C. When planted” in dedicatory caches, the makers of celts may have called for growth of their communities as they would hope for in a productive field of maize. Further readingBenson, Elizabeth P., and Beatriz de la Fuente, eds. Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1996. Berrin, Kathleen, and Virginia M. Fields, eds. Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2010. Cheeth by Piemags/PL Photography Limited is available for licensing today.

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