Mother culture

From Freepedia

A mother culture is a term for an early people and their culture, with great and widespread influence on later cultures and people. Though the original culture may fade, the mother culture's influence grows for ages in the future. Later civilizations either learn and build upon their old ways, or can learn them through peaceful or military assimilation.

Mother cultures in history include that of ancient Greece in the Mediterranean, and the Olmec in Mesoamerica.