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THE MACROSIGNIFIED OF FORMATIVE MESOAMERICA: A SEMIOTIC APPROACH TO THE “OLMEC” STYLE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2021

Artur Seredin Open the ORCID record for Artur Seredin [Opens in a new window]
Artur Seredin*
Affiliation:
Zaporizhzhya Regional Center for Protection of Cultural Heritage, Troitska, 31, Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine69063
*
E-mail correspondence to: askearthur@gmail.com
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Abstract

This article applies the theory of archaeological semiotics to the study of the “Olmec” style. A semiotic approach differs from an iconographic study because it provides the possibility for complex analysis of all significant traits of material archeological objects without distinction between stylistic and iconographic traits. In this context, the semiotic analysis of the Olmec style as a sign system shows that its particular signs, which can be defined as stylistic traits because of the lack of specific iconographic meanings, simultaneously participated in the creation and transformation of cultural meanings. This phenomenon reflected the “macrosignified” of Formative Mesoamerican cultures, associated with a structure that linked together various meanings throughout the culture.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , Summer 2021 , pp. 204 - 214
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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