Description: Panoramic photograph showing five individuals standing at Serpent Mound, a monumental effigy mound in northern Adams County, Ohio. This earthwork depicts a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop; from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A.D. Many American Indians of the Eastern Woodlands believed the Great Serpent was a powerful spirit of the Underworld, and it is believed that Serpent Mound may be a representation of these beliefs. The head of Serpent Mound is aligned with the setting sun on the summer solstice and the coils may be aligned to the summer and winter solstice and equinox sunrises. These alignments support the idea that Serpent Mound had a ceremonial purpose for its creators. Frederic Putnam saved Serpent Mound from destruction. On his urging, funds were raised for Harvard University to purchase the site. Later, the ownership was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection). Serpent Mound is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS7483
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County;
Places: Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a picture of several earthworks at Fort Ancient near Lebanon, Ohio. Fort Ancient is a collection of American Indian earthworks, built by the Hopewell peoples, along the eastern shore of the Little Miami River. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F07_029_001
Subjects: Warren County (Ohio); Fort Ancient (Ohio); Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds -- Ohio -- Warren County; Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1–400)
Places: Lebanon (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: D. Wyrick's 1860 map of the Newark Earthworks. Built by the prehistoric Hopewell Culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 500, this architectural wonder of ancient America was part cathedral, part cemetery, and part astronomical observatory. The entire Newark Earthworks originally encompassed more than four square miles. Over the years, the growth of the city of Newark destroyed many of the Newark Earthworks, but three major segments survived because of the efforts of interested local citizens. In 2006, Governor Bob Taft formally declared the Newark Earthworks to be Ohio's state prehistoric monument, honoring the early American Indian builders of this site. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02913
Subjects: Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1-400); American Indians--Archaeology; Earthworks (Archaeology); Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Ohio state symbols
Places: Newark (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing a cast of a pottery figurine recovered from Altar 1 of Mound 4 of the Turner Mound Group. The figure is posed standing with its arms at its sides. The Turner Group of Earthworks was located on the Little Miami River in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. By analysis of artifacts recovered there, it was dated to the Hopewell Period of about 100 BC - AD 400. The Turner Group was singular in design and uncomplicated in layout compared to many of the Hopewell geometric earthwork sites in the Scioto Valley. Turner primarily consisted of a raised 500’ circle connected to an expansive oval-shaped embankment called the Great Enclosure. A detached oval embankment called the Long Enclosure was located just to the south. There were 18 burial mounds associated with the Turner Group, mostly within the Great Enclosure. These were investigated by Putnam, Metz and others between 1882 and 1902. Workers unearthed a total of 91 burials and cremations with several burials interred in stone-lined graves. Grave offerings included objects of copper, mica and other exotic materials typical of the Hopewell culture. However, like the site itself, many Turner artifacts were atypical in terms of both theme and style when compared to Scioto Valley Hopewell objects. This includes a unique group of small terracotta human figurines in different poses and garb that were thought to depict the site’s original inhabitants. Most spectacular was a ring of 30 large, vented fire pits or furnaces found under Mound 3. Some suggest that their purpose was to smelt metallic ore, others to create ceremonial pyrotechnic effects. Unfortunately the Turner Group became a gravel quarry after World War II, leaving many such questions unanswered. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B05F04_E04_03_01
Subjects: Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; Earthworks (Archaeology); Excavations (Archaeology)--Ohio; Artifacts
Places: Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing a cast of a pottery figurine recovered from the Turner Mound Group. The figure is posed kneeling, with its hands on its knees. The Turner Group of Earthworks was located on the Little Miami River in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. By analysis of artifacts recovered there, it was dated to the Hopewell Period of about 100 BC - AD 400. The Turner Group was singular in design and uncomplicated in layout compared to many of the Hopewell geometric earthwork sites in the Scioto Valley. Turner primarily consisted of a raised 500’ circle connected to an expansive oval-shaped embankment called the Great Enclosure. A detached oval embankment called the Long Enclosure was located just to the south. There were 18 burial mounds associated with the Turner Group, mostly within the Great Enclosure. These were investigated by Putnam, Metz and others between 1882 and 1902. Workers unearthed a total of 91 burials and cremations with several burials interred in stone-lined graves. Grave offerings included objects of copper, mica and other exotic materials typical of the Hopewell culture. However, like the site itself, many Turner artifacts were atypical in terms of both theme and style when compared to Scioto Valley Hopewell objects. This includes a unique group of small terracotta human figurines in different poses and garb that were thought to depict the site’s original inhabitants. Most spectacular was a ring of 30 large, vented fire pits or furnaces found under Mound 3. Some suggest that their purpose was to smelt metallic ore, others to create ceremonial pyrotechnic effects. Unfortunately the Turner Group became a gravel quarry after World War II, leaving many such questions unanswered. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B05F04_E04_01_01
Subjects: Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; Earthworks (Archaeology); Excavations (Archaeology)--Ohio; Artifacts
Places: Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Multiple views showing the cast of a pottery figurine recovered from Altar 1 of Mound 4 of the Turner Mound Group. The figure is posed standing with arms at its sides. The Turner Group of Earthworks was located on the Little Miami River in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. By analysis of artifacts recovered there, it was dated to the Hopewell Period of about 100 BC - AD 400. The Turner Group was singular in design and uncomplicated in layout compared to many of the Hopewell geometric earthwork sites in the Scioto Valley. Turner primarily consisted of a raised 500’ circle connected to an expansive oval-shaped embankment called the Great Enclosure. A detached oval embankment called the Long Enclosure was located just to the south. There were 18 burial mounds associated with the Turner Group, mostly within the Great Enclosure. These were investigated by Putnam, Metz and others between 1882 and 1902. Workers unearthed a total of 91 burials and cremations with several burials interred in stone-lined graves. Grave offerings included objects of copper, mica and other exotic materials typical of the Hopewell culture. However, like the site itself, many Turner artifacts were atypical in terms of both theme and style when compared to Scioto Valley Hopewell objects. This includes a unique group of small terracotta human figurines in different poses and garb that were thought to depict the site’s original inhabitants. Most spectacular was a ring of 30 large, vented fire pits or furnaces found under Mound 3. Some suggest that their purpose was to smelt metallic ore, others to create ceremonial pyrotechnic effects. Unfortunately the Turner Group became a gravel quarry after World War II, leaving many such questions unanswered. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B05F04_E05_001
Subjects: Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; Earthworks (Archaeology); Excavations (Archaeology)--Ohio; Artifacts
Places: Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing a cast of a pottery figurine recovered from Altar 1 of Mound 4 of the Turner Mound Group. The figure is posed standing with its forearms crossed over its torso. The Turner Group of Earthworks was located on the Little Miami River in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. By analysis of artifacts recovered there, it was dated to the Hopewell Period of about 100 BC - AD 400. The Turner Group was singular in design and uncomplicated in layout compared to many of the Hopewell geometric earthwork sites in the Scioto Valley. Turner primarily consisted of a raised 500’ circle connected to an expansive oval-shaped embankment called the Great Enclosure. A detached oval embankment called the Long Enclosure was located just to the south. There were 18 burial mounds associated with the Turner Group, mostly within the Great Enclosure. These were investigated by Putnam, Metz and others between 1882 and 1902. Workers unearthed a total of 91 burials and cremations with several burials interred in stone-lined graves. Grave offerings included objects of copper, mica and other exotic materials typical of the Hopewell culture. However, like the site itself, many Turner artifacts were atypical in terms of both theme and style when compared to Scioto Valley Hopewell objects. This includes a unique group of small terracotta human figurines in different poses and garb that were thought to depict the site’s original inhabitants. Most spectacular was a ring of 30 large, vented fire pits or furnaces found under Mound 3. Some suggest that their purpose was to smelt metallic ore, others to create ceremonial pyrotechnic effects. Unfortunately the Turner Group became a gravel quarry after World War II, leaving many such questions unanswered. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B05F04_E04_02_01
Subjects: Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; Earthworks (Archaeology); Excavations (Archaeology)--Ohio; Artifacts
Places: Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Map illustrating the ancient earthworks and terrain near the city of Marietta, drawn by Rufus Putnam in 1802. The Marietta Earthworks site is a large Hopewell ceremonial center located at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers in Washington County. Originally, it included a large square enclosure surrounding four flat-topped pyramidal mounds, another smaller square, and a circular enclosure with a large burial mound at its center. In 1788, the directors of the Ohio Company of Associates, who were the founders of Marietta, agreed to preserve important parts of the earthworks as parks. Three segments of the Marietta Earthworks are maintained as public parks today. Originally known as Adelphia, meaning "brotherhood," Marietta was the first settlement founded by the Ohio Company of Associates in the Northwest Territory in 1788, and the first permanent settlement of the United States in the territory north and west of the Ohio River. The Ohio Company's investors renamed the community after Queen Marie Antoinette of France, in honor of France's contributions to the American victory in the American Revolution. The first settlers were led by Rufus Putnam, who was one of the Ohio Company's early investors. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02885
Subjects: Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Ohio History--Settlement and Early Statehood; Putnam, Rufus, 1738-1824; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio River Valley
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio)
 

Description: Serpent Mound is a spectacular effigy earthwork of a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop in northern Adams County, Ohio. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Excavations between 1887 and 1889 by Frederic Putnam, of Harvard University's Peabody Museum, revealed the structure of the earthwork, but Putnam did not find any artifacts that revealed the age or cultural affiliation of the mound. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet Putnam also discovered traces of a village of the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) near the Serpent. Excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A.D. Serpents are a common feature in the art of the Late Prehistoric Period (900 A.D. to 1650 A.D.). Many American Indians of the Eastern Woodlands believed the Great Serpent was a powerful spirit of the Underworld, and it is believed that Serpent Mound may be a representation of these beliefs. The head of Serpent Mound is aligned with the setting sun on the summer solstice and the coils may be aligned to the summer and winter solstice and equinox sunrises. These alignments support the idea that Serpent Mound had a ceremonial purpose for its creators. Frederic Putnam saved Serpent Mound from destruction. On his urging, funds were raised for Harvard University to purchase the site. Later, the ownership was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society. Serpent Mound is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Serpent Mound State Memorial is located 20 miles south of Bainbridge in Adams County. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC804_SerpentMound_01
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650)
Places: Adams County (Ohio);
 

Description: Serpent Mound is a spectacular effigy earthwork of a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop in northern Adams County, Ohio. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Excavations between 1887 and 1889 by Frederic Putnam, of Harvard University's Peabody Museum, revealed the structure of the earthwork, but Putnam did not find any artifacts that revealed the age or cultural affiliation of the mound. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet Putnam also discovered traces of a village of the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) near the Serpent. Excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC804_SerpentMound_02
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650)
Places: Adams County (Ohio);
 

Description: Typed on reverse: "Miamisburg Mound. State Route 9 (15-57-151) Miamisburg, Ohio. Montgomery - Co." The Miamisburg Mound (officially Miamisburg Mound State Memorial) is the largest conical burial mound in the state of Ohio and possibly in the eastern U. S. It is located south of downtown Miamisburg, on Mound Avenue. Archaeological investigations of the surrounding area suggest that it was constructed by the prehistoric Adena Indians (800 BC - AD 100). Built on a 100-foot-high bluff, the mound measures 877 feet in circumference and was originally more than 70 feet high. Visitors may climb the 116 steps from its base to the summit for a view of the surrounding park. The 37-acre park has picnic tables and a playground. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B09F04_013_001
Subjects: Earthworks (Archaeology)--Ohio; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100)
Places: Miamisburg (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Drawing depicting the astronomy of the Great Circle Earthworks in Newark, Ohio, as seen in "Ancient Astronomers of the Ohio Valley," by Bradley T. Lepper, TIMELINE (Vol. 15, No. 1), January-February 1998. Built by the prehistoric Hopewell Culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 500, this architectural wonder of ancient America was part cathedral, part cemetery, and part astronomical observatory. Great Circle Earthworks is nearly 1,200 feet in diameter and was likely used as a vast ceremonial center by its builders. The 8 feet (2.4 m) high walls surround a 5 feet (1.5 m) deep moat, except at the entrance where the dimensions are even greater and more impressive. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02910
Subjects: Astronomy; Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1-400)
Places: Newark (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)