Learning the Ropes: Cordage, Knots, and Lashings, Their Purposes and Their Meanings in Olmec Art

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Ties That Bind: Cordage, Its Sources, and the Artifacts of Its Creation and Use" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

While only small fragments of actual cordage have been recovered in Gulf Coast Olmec excavations, depictions of cordage figure prominently in Olmec and Olmec-related art. Reliefs of string, rope, and knots appear as costume components on Colossal Heads, on figures in the round, and in relief images on thrones and stelae, as well as in depictions of rope used as an instrument to connect, secure, or bind objects or people. The meanings behind these rope-based costume elements and paraphernalia have proven elusive, however. While some scholars suggest that depictions of rope symbolize captivity and subordination, others suggest that this imagery refers to familial connections or even symbolizes umbilical cords, and still others suggest that depictions of rope indicate control, power, and status. This project closely examines depictions of cordage to identify the types of knots and lashings used in Gulf Coast Olmec depictions. The resulting identifications help to reveal the purposes of the different types of ropework and bring new understanding to the nature of what is portrayed in this sculpture. Further comparisons of Olmec depictions of rope with associated objects and closely related motifs shed additional light on the meanings and symbolism of Olmec cordage imagery.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Ties That Bind: Cordage, Its Sources, and the Artifacts of Its Creation and Use   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38135.0