![tmp334748586057138178.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbQGBisd7UnRM6GsMFYPeieNuqX2zPwB27Z2v3JkBfbS6/tmp334748586057138178.jpg)

People have always been interested in ancient civilizations and their incredible ability to create megaliths. Besides pyramids and sphinxes, one of the great riddles of archeology remains the stone heads of the Olmecs. These ancient giant sculptures depict human faces with flat noses, dense lips and "drawn" eyes. The mystery is why each of the 17 stone heads found so far has been discovered in a different place? Why did the Olmecs have made these sculptures, how did they wear them, and how did they transport them to those places where we find them today? The Olmecs are an ancient Mesoamerican Indian tribal community that once inhabited Mexico's current territory.The name "Olmeki" has been accepted conditionally by archaeologists and historians, because that name bears only one of the tribes living in the tropical forests of today's Mexican states Veracruz and Tabasco. They call the Olmec culture "one of the six cradles of civilization," but it is the only one to create art in a tropical forest. Scientists accept conditionally that the civilization of the Olmecs covers the period from 1600-1500 BC. onwards. It lasted for a thousand years - somewhere around 400 BC, then began to decline, and around 200 BC. ceases to exist. Scientists consider the Olmek culture as the earliest known in America. The Olmecs leave as a remarkable fact for their highly developed culture the sculptures for which the speech takes place - stone heads and small figurines made of jade.

![El_Manati_3.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbagjdniCgEyzAMytXdBaTviNfacARw9K6tWPKX4yPvF3/El_Manati_3.JPG)
**Colossal Olmec head in -situ at Tres Zapotes, Mexico**

All of them are a clear proof of the creator's mastery, but the vagueness around them for nearly 8 decades has given rise to many hypotheses and speculation.The first archeological research of the Olmecs civilization dates back to 1938. Although the first giant stone head was discovered far away - in 1862 in Tres Sapote. Over the course of time, the 17 stone heads found so far have been discovered at four different locations along the Gulf Coast, in Tres Sapote, San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Rancho La Cobata.Most of the heads are sculpted from huge round stones. The exact age of the head-colossi has not yet been established.

How, and what connects them to one another, whom do they portray? 

It is only known that the monumental heads found in San Lorenzo are the oldest of all discovered - somewhere around 900 BC. , and the "youngest" are two found in Tres Sapote and one in Rancho La Cobata. Scientists believe that many people were involved in making the huge heads: stonemasons, bearers, and even chefs who had to feed the vast staff involved in this activity.Initially there was a rough treatment of the stone basalt pieces, then the fine carvings were made by craftsmen, and finally there was grinding with abrasive materials. The faces of the stone heads are particularly distinguished by the extraction of details such as earrings, etc. Scientists believe that the stones from which the sculptures were made were harvested in the forests of Sierra de los Touxlas in Veracruz. They are from areas where there was volcanic activity.


![li-cropped-shutterstock_225082597.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSrHke7QLB81pCSfcqGjBprDP93Mr22ropyGLERYWzsiu/li-cropped-shutterstock_225082597.jpg)
[image](https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/amazing-giant-stone-heads-around-the-world/)

Especially chosen are those having a spherical shape similar to the human face.The slopes on which the stones are carried are estimated to be 150 kilometers long! How did the Olmecs transported these real stone monsters weighing between 6 and 50 tonnes, given that, according to the experts, they did not know the wheel at that time. Today the stone heads of the Olmecs are exposed in several anthropological museums, but the mysteries around them continue to excite scientists. Is it entirely possible for archeologists to find new artifacts related to the stone "collection"?