Moroni states that the armies of Shiz and the armies of Coriantumr "did march forth one against another to battle" (Ether 15:15). According to Joseph Allen, both archaeology and the Book of Mormon bear witness that the final war of the Jaredites and the final war of the Olmecs were caused by internal strife. Indeed, according to Michael Coe, the final destruction of the Olmecs was caused by internal strife and was violent (Coe 1962:90). [Joseph Allen, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, p. 65]
“Clothed After the Manner of War Such as Head-plates”
In Ether 15:15 we have the following description of Jaredite armor: both men and women being armed with weapons of war, having shields, and breastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war--they did march forth one against another to battle.
According to Verneil Simmons, it is significant that some type of "head-plate" was worn both among the Jaredites and among the Olmecs. Dr. Michael Coe believes that the Olmec were ruled by "great civil lords, members of royal lineages." All writers dealing with the Olmecs have commented on the "helmets" of the great heads and it is Coe's suggestion that the stone heads depict warrior leaders rather than priests (see illustration). [Verneil W. Simmons, Peoples, Places and Prophecies, p. 132]
Ether 15:15 Headplates ([Illustration]): A representation of Olmec stone heads (with "headplates") by Charles R. Wicke, Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson, Ariz, 1971, p. 70, reprinted in [Verneil W. Simmons, Peoples, Places and Prophecies, p. 132]
Ether 15:15 Armed with weapons of war ([Illustration]): Two stone instruments believed to be weapons, or axe heads, found in the museum at Santiago Tuxtla, which is at the base of the Cerro Vigia. [David A. Palmer, In Search of Cumorah, pp. 119]