Uncontacted contemporaries · 1,100 overlapping years

Olmec Civilization Jomon Culture

For 1,100 years — from 1,500 BCE to 400 BCE — both civilizations existed simultaneously. Neither this dataset nor the historical record shows any documented trade, war, or diplomatic contact between them.

14,000 BCE 300 BCE

Olmec Civilization

1,500 BCE–400 BCE

Jomon Culture

14,000 BCE–300 BCE

↑ Overlap begins, 1,500 BCE

Olmec Civilization

Gulf Coast, Mesoamerica

Considered the 'mother culture' of Mesoamerica, originating traits later inherited by the Maya and Aztec.

Jomon Culture

Japanese archipelago

A remarkably long-lived hunter-gatherer culture in Japan, notable for producing some of the world's earliest pottery long before agriculture took hold.

Traits both developed independently

With no documented contact, any shared trait below represents independent development rather than transmission from one to the other.

Long-distance trade

Olmec Civilization only

Monumental architecture
Irrigation agriculture
Astronomical record-keeping
Urban planning

Jomon Culture only

Seafaring