Description: This is a map showing the Newark Earthworks in Licking County, Ohio. The Newark Earthworks were the largest set of geometric earthworks ever built in what is now the state of Ohio. They were constructed by the Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 500 A.D.), an ancient American Indian culture. Originally the earthworks included a great circular enclosure (the Great Circle Earthworks), another slightly smaller circle that was linked to an octagon (Octagon Earthworks), and a large, nearly perfect square enclosure (Wright Earthworks), in addition to an oval earthwork surrounded a dozen conical and loaf-shaped mounds. All of these structures were connected by a series of parallel walls. There were many smaller circular enclosures and a scattering of other mounds and pits. On the opposite bank of the Licking River's South Fork, another square enclosure and an oval earthwork encircled the top of a hill that overlooked the vast maze of geometric enclosures. Over the years, the growth of the city of Newark destroyed many of the Newark Earthworks, but the Great Circle and the Octagon earthworks are major elements preserved by the efforts of interested local citizens. The surviving parts of the Newark Earthworks are recognized as a National Historic Landmark. 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. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the American Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the Results of Extensive Original Surveys and Explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07257
Subjects: Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indian history and society; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400)
Places: Newark (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)
 

Description: What is now Chillicothe in Ross County, Ohio, was once home to the Adena and Hopewell prehistoric Native American cultures. This map shows an earthwork known as the Hopeton Work, about four miles north of Chillicothe. The Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) built most of the earthworks and some of the circular enclosures in the Chillicothe area, including the Adena Mound. The Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 400 A.D.) built monumental earthworks and burial mounds in geometric shapes, primarily in the Paint Creek Valley, a few miles from Chillicothe. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the results of extensive original surveys and explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08598
Subjects: Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indians--Archaeology; Ohio River Valley--Antiquities; Earthworks (Archaeology)
Places: Chillicothe (Ohio); Ross County (Ohio)
 

Description: What is now Chillicothe in Ross County, Ohio, was once home to the Adena and Hopewell prehistoric American Indian cultures. This map shows the most densely-concentrated area of ancient earthworks in North America. The Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) built most of the earthworks and some of the circular enclosures in the Chillicothe area, including the Adena Mound. The Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 400 A.D.) built monumental earthworks and burial mounds in geometric shapes, primarily in the Paint Creek Valley, a few miles from Chillicothe. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the results of extensive original surveys and explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SquierDavisPlateII
Subjects: Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indians--Archaeology; Ohio River Valley--Antiquities; Earthworks (Archaeology)
Places: Chillicothe (Ohio); Ross County (Ohio)
 

Description: Map of the "Marietta Works" by surveyor Charles Whittlesey, 1837. The Marietta Earthworks site is a large Hopewell culture 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, 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. The large burial mound surrounded by a circular enclosure is called Conus, the largest of the flat-topped earthen pyramids is called Quadranaou, and the next largest pyramidal mound is called Capitolium. The Washington County Public Library was built atop Capitolium Mound. The Marietta Earthworks are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the results of extensive original surveys and explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SquierDavisPlateXXVI
Subjects: Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indians--Archaeology; Ohio River Valley--Antiquities; Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400)
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio)
 

Description: What is now Chillicothe in Ross County, Ohio, was once home to the Adena and Hopewell prehistoric American Indian cultures. This map shows an ancient earthwork located in Liberty Township, about 8 miles southeast of Chillicothe. The Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) built most of the earthworks and some of the circular enclosures in the Chillicothe area, including the Adena Mound. The Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 400 A.D.) built monumental earthworks and burial mounds in geometric shapes, primarily in the Paint Creek Valley, a few miles from Chillicothe. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the results of extensive original surveys and explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SquierDavisPlateXX
Subjects: Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indians--Archaeology; Ohio River Valley--Antiquities; Earthworks (Archaeology)
Places: Liberty Township (Ohio); Ross County (Ohio)
 

Description: What is now the area of Chillicothe in Ross County, Ohio, was once home to the Adena and Hopewell prehistoric Native American cultures. This map shows the High Bank earthworks in Ross County. The Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) built most of the earthworks and some of the circular enclosures in the Chillicothe area, including the Adena Mound. The Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 400 A.D.) built monumental earthworks and burial mounds in geometric shapes, primarily in the Paint Creek Valley, a few miles from Chillicothe. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the results of extensive original surveys and explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SquierDavisPlateXVI
Subjects: Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indians--Archaeology; Ohio River Valley--Antiquities; Earthworks (Archaeology)
Places: Chillicothe (Ohio); Ross County (Ohio)
 

Description: Four small maps showing American Indian earthworks and ancient monuments in Pickaway, Fairfield and Licking Counties. Pictured are "the Alligater," "the Cross," the Rock Mill Work and the Newark Valley earthworks. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the results of extensive original surveys and explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SquierDavisPlateXXXVI
Subjects: Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indians--Archaeology; Ohio River Valley--Antiquities; Earthworks (Archaeology); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400)
Places: Pickaway County (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio); Granville (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio); Newark (Ohio)
 

Description: Lithograph showing the group of prehistoric earthworks in Marietta, Ohio, after a painting by Charles Sullivan. This lithograph dates to 1848, and was published in Squier and Davis's "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05765
Subjects: Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Earthworks (Archaeology); Earthworks (Art)--United States; Marietta (Ohio)
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. 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.. 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, and Serpent Mound is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Archaeologists E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, with the help of surveyor and geologist Charles Whittlesey, systematically documented the Indian works and compiled them into an 1847 book called "Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the results of extensive original surveys and explorations." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08639
Subjects: Mounds--Ohio River Valley; American Indians--Archaeology; Ohio River Valley--Antiquities; Earthworks (Archaeology); Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650)
Places: Peebles (Ohio); Adams County (Ohio)
 

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)