Celt,

1000–400 BCE

Finely polished, ground ‘celts’ (pronounced SELTS) of greenstone and jadeite are among the most enigmatic Olmec artifacts. Though shaped as axe heads, they were potent religious objects, often buried in ritual caches. While some Olmec celts bear incised religious designs, the smooth, unmarked surface of many, including this example, draws attention to the rich quality of the stone itself in a manner that, for the Western viewer, may call to mind the sculpture of Constantine Brancusi or Henry Moore. Based on the incised imagery on others, Olmec celts seem to have been associated with the great agricultural staple of Mesoamerican cultures, maize. The basic form of celts is reminiscent of the mature maize ear, the verdant green color symbolic of life, and the axe, as an implement used to clear forests for the planting of maize, may also have been a symbol of maize agriculture. The association of axe blades with agriculture is not unique to Mesoamerica, as attested by the occurrence of similarly symbolic celts from Neolithic Europe. Subsequent peoples of ancient Mesoamerica prized Olmec celts, often including them in their own ritual caches. At some Maya sites, Olmec celts have been found to which were added incised Maya imagery and hieroglyphic texts. Even later in pre-Columbian times, these ancient celts were traded as far south as Costa Rica, where local peoples sliced them into thinner plaques and recarved them once again, adjusting the symbolic role of the already potent object to meet their own religious needs.