News
World Heritage Week 2024
Masterpieces of human creative genius, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are gigantic earthen enclosures built by American Indians 2,000 years ago. They were places of ceremony connected to the cosmos by alignments to key risings and settings of the moon and sun. Come and experience these sacred earthworks of the ancient Hopewell culture and gain a new appreciation of the achievements of Ohio’s Indigenous peoples—as well as a deeper connection to the world and our place in it.
Photo by: John Hancock
Photo by: National Park Service/Tom Engberg
Photo by: John Hancock
Photo by: John Hancock
Photo by: NPS
Masterpieces of human creative genius, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are gigantic earthen enclosures built by American Indians 2,000 years ago. They were places of ceremony connected to the cosmos by alignments to key risings and settings of the moon and sun. Come and experience these sacred earthworks of the ancient Hopewell culture and gain a new appreciation of the achievements of Ohio’s Indigenous peoples—as well as a deeper connection to the world and our place in it.
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are complex masterpieces of landscape architecture. The huge squares, circles, and octagons, which are geometrically precise and align perfectly with the cycles of the sun and moon, were built by dispersed communities of American Indians who periodically gathered at these special places to worship and stay connected to one another. The earthworks are incredibly big to accommodate those large numbers of people.
Artifacts found at these sites are made from unusual raw materials such as mica from Appalachia, seashells from the Gulf of Mexico, and obsidian from the Rocky Mountains. This shows that people traveled here from the ends of the Hopewell world bringing with them rare and precious gifts. The immense effort this would have required further solidifies these earthworks as centers of human ingenuity.
News
World Heritage Week 2024
apr
Join us for a week of commemorating the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, Ohio’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site! Saturday, April 13 Remnants Walking Tour Newark Earthworks 9 a.m.–Noon Join us on a guided walking tour of portions of the Newark Earthworks starting and ending at the Great Circle Museum. The route will be over mostly… Read More
News
Exploring the Ancient Hopewell Culture: Mounds, Earthworks, and Sacred Ceremonies – WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods
feb
Eight Hopewell Earthworks in Ohio, were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2023. Myra Vick, Park Ranger for the National Park Service, leads a walking tour through one of the sites, the Hopewell Culture Mound City Group located in Chillicothe, Ohio.
News
Ancient earthen structures in Ohio become a UNESCO World Heritage Site – CBS Sunday Morning
feb
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks were featured on CBS Sunday Morning. Hear from Dr. Brad Lepper, senior archaeologist at the Ohio History Connection and Dr. John Low, director of the Newark Earthworks Center and citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.