Archaeology Magazine - October 1973 - 45

Eight-signcompositionfrom a ceramic roller stamp found at Tlatilco.
Length, 14.9 cm. Collection of Frederick V. Field

leaf-shaped motif that may describe a seed or a
tuber and not, as it might seem, a heart or a
vulva sign; another water symbol and a -curving
double band on top suggestive of a sprout. While
as individual elements the components of this sign
resemble certain ornamental accessories that are
normally associated with depictions of the Olmec
rain god, it is conceivable that here, grouped as
they are together, they form a compound sign
with agricultural connotations.
The second sign resembles a ceremonial baton
and is possibly a symbol of authority. I have seen
a few similar stone objects from Guerrero. The
third sign is a barbed staff, the crook of which
is pointed on one side and hooked on the other.
It may be symbolic of a planting stick- without,
however, being factually accurate. There is a
similarity between the head of this staff and the
upper end of the baton held by the figure on
Stela 2 from La Venta. The fourth sign includes
a cross within a single-line cartouche, four dots
on the outer edge and a curving double band
falling to the right. Not at all unique in the
Olmec repertory, this sign closely parallels the
Maya "Kan cross," supposedly associated with
water principles. It relates even more specifically
to Thompson's Affix 347 which also has four dots
on the edge of the cartouche. Below this cross is
the fifth and last sign, a standard consisting of a
pole and a fringed element. Since the latter part
is similar to the symbolic "curtain of rain" below
each of the three cumuli formations on Relief 1
at Chalcacingo, this fifth sign is probably also
associated with rain concepts.
The overall decoration of the Guerrero celt

Compound of three signs
inscribed on the handle
of a ceremonial stone object
from Guerrero.
Length of handle, 6 cm.

portrays the Olmec rain god abstracted to a conventional form and complemented by symbols
denoting his position and function in a religious
system mainly concerned with rain and agriculture. At the time the celt was decorated Olmec
picture writing was still in a formative stage. The
symbols were either subordinate to figurative
compositions or were integral parts of freely
realized themes. When the figures ceased to be
paramount or were dropped altogether and some
sort of linear order was introduced in the composition of ideographic passages, only then did the
Olmec arrive at an incipient system of hieroglyphic writing.
of the final and most advanced
Ijxamples
in
the
stage
history of Olmec picture writing are
comparatively rare. This is probably because such
inscriptions were more often committed to perishable material than to stone or clay. Among the
most significant examples are an eight-sign composition from a roller stamp, a three-sign compound incised on a stone object and the more
complex text on the Ahuelicán tablet. The last of
these consists of a series of four glyphs and a
numeral set in a row; its complexity and
clarity distinguish it as the most advanced Olmec
hieroglyphic text presently known. As the purpose of this article is to describe the Ahuelicán
inscription, of the other two texts I will only say
that the first is probably a "sky band" with sun,
Venus and moon-phase symbols, while the other
includes a sign for "movement" in the middle
and a moon symbol below.
285

Archaeology Magazine - October 1973

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - October 1973