Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (631 page)

 
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Large early Formative Stage Olmec village and ceremonial centre situated on a raised natural plateau in the open country of the Rio Chiquito in the Gulf Coast lowlands of Veracruz. It was occupied from about 1200 bc down to 900 bc and was probably the main centre of Olmec civilization in its early stages. The main axis of the site is north–south, and the main structures were built on an artificially modified salt dome. At the centre is a large platform mound surrounded by up to 60 smaller mounds and what may be the earliest ball-court in Mesoamerica. A unique feature of the site is its system of stone drains. It is estimated that over 1000 people lived at San Lorenzo. There is some evidence for an abrupt end to the Olmec occupation
c.
900 bc, perhaps because the population was torn between having to farm large tracts of surrounding countryside and building monumental public buildings. When the site was abandoned many of the carved stone heads were defaced and the structures dismantled. It seems likely that La Venta took over as the regional centre.
[Sum.: M. D. Coe , 1968, San Lorenzo and the Olmec Civilization. In E. P. Benson (ed.),
Proceedings, Dumbarton Oaks conference on the Olmec
. Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks, 41–78]

 
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Archaic Stage hunter-gatherer communities, a subdivision of the Cochise Tradition, living in the southwestern areas of North America in the period 1500–200 bc. Characterized by the use of large projectile points with corner or side notches and straight or convex bases. Some settlements of this culture include oval pit-houses suggestive of a degree of permanence. Some groups may have been cultivating maize and other crops.

 
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An early
INDO-EUROPEAN
language, still used in India as the literary language of Hindu religious texts. In 1786 Sir William Jones recognized the similarities between Sanskrit and Greek and Latin, thereby allowing the possibility of extremely widespread early language families.

 
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Seventh main phase of activity in the Tehuacán Valley of Mexico, dating to the period 1000 bc to ad 150. Characterized by small hamlets and villages.

 
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Southward expansion of the Hopewell Culture recognized as a distinct grouping in Florida. See
HOPEWELL CULTURE
.

 
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