The basalt statue "Olmec Giant Stone Head" from the heyday of the Olmec civilization

The basalt statue "Olmec Giant Stone Head" from the heyday of the Olmec civilization

This is a basalt human head sculpture from the Olmec civilization, carved from large basalt boulders and currently housed in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico. The height of these avatars ranges from 1.17 meters to 3.4 meters, dating back to at least 900 BC, and is a prominent feature of the ancient Mesoamerican Olmec civilization. These huge sculptures only depict the head, possibly because it is widely believed in Central American culture that the head contains an individual's emotions, experiences, and soul. Each avatar has unique facial features and may therefore be seen as a portrait of the actual ruler.
Fossil specimen "Robust Southern Ape Skull" from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico

Fossil specimen "Robust Southern Ape Skull" from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico

The robust Southern Ape, referred to by some researchers as the hominid genus, lived on the newly formed African savannah 1.5 million years ago. Unlike the more elegant southern apes, the skull features of this species are related to a diet primarily based on hard fruits, bark, and some roots. We can notice that it has a thick and protruding zygomatic arch, with a very large muscle passing through it and ending at the sagittal crest located in the upper part of the skull. Its dental arch is very sturdy and can be seen in very wide and pointed molars. This specimen was discovered by scientist Robert Bloom in 1938 in the Stekefontein Cave near Johannesburg, South Africa.