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: This is a group portrait of men who were part of the "exploration corps and topological survey" at the Fort Ancient site, ca. 1900-1908. The Fort Ancient Earthworks are a series of earthen embankments that extend for more than three and one half miles around a high bluff along the Little Miami River in southwestern Ohio. Although it is called a "fort," it probably never served as a defensive work. Ditches are located inside the walls rather than outside as might be expected in a fortification. There are more than 60 gateways in the walls, making it difficult to defend the site against enemies. The Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 500 A. D.) of prehistoric American Indian people constructed the earthworks. Later native residents built a village and a cemetery within the walls of the already ancient South Fort. Archaeologists mistakenly assumed that these villagers had built the earthen walls. It was called the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) after the name of the site. This mistake has caused confusion for later students of Ohio archaeology. Recent excavations at Fort Ancient have discovered the remains of Hopewell culture houses and ceremonial features both inside and outside of the enclosure walls. It is not known whether the houses located inside the enclosure were occupied before or after the enclosure was built. It also has yet to be determined whether the houses were the dwellings of more or less full time residents, or the temporary shelters of visitors. The Fort Ancient Earthworks is an Ohio Historical Society site open to visitation. It is located seven miles southeast of Lebanon, in Warren County, Ohio. In addition to the earthworks, the site features a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. The Fort Ancient Earthworks site also is a National Historic Landmark. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03905
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County; Portrait photography
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows Fort Ancient. The Fort Ancient Earthworks are a series of earthen embankments that extend for more than three and one half miles around a high bluff along the Little Miami River in southwestern Ohio. Although it is called a "fort," it probably never served as a defensive work. Ditches are located inside the walls rather than outside as might be expected in a fortification. There are more than 60 gateways in the walls, making it difficult to defend the site against enemies. The Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 500 A. D.) of prehistoric American Indian people constructed the earthworks. Later native residents built a village and a cemetery within the walls of the already ancient South Fort. Archaeologists mistakenly assumed that these villagers had built the earthen walls. It was called the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) after the name of the site. This mistake has caused confusion for later students of Ohio archaeology. Recent excavations at Fort Ancient have discovered the remains of Hopewell culture houses and ceremonial features both inside and outside of the enclosure walls. It is not known whether the houses located inside the enclosure were occupied before or after the enclosure was built. It also has yet to be determined whether the houses were the dwellings of more or less full time residents, or the temporary shelters of visitors. The Fort Ancient Earthworks is an Ohio Historical Society site open to visitation. It is located seven miles southeast of Lebanon, in Warren County, Ohio. In addition to the earthworks, the site features a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. The Fort Ancient Earthworks site also is a National Historic Landmark. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07999
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1-400); Earthworks (Archaeology); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a group of rocks, possibly part of a building structure or part of the earthworks at Fort Ancient. The Fort Ancient Earthworks are a series of earthen embankments that extend for more than three and one half miles around a high bluff along the Little Miami River in southwestern Ohio. Although it is called a "fort," it probably never served as a defensive work. Ditches are located inside the walls rather than outside as might be expected in a fortification. There are more than 60 gateways in the walls, making it difficult to defend the site against enemies. The Hopewell culture (100 B.C. to 500 A. D.) of prehistoric American Indian people constructed the earthworks. Later native residents built a village and a cemetery within the walls of the already ancient South Fort. Archaeologists mistakenly assumed that these villagers had built the earthen walls. It was called the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) after the name of the site. This mistake has caused confusion for later students of Ohio archaeology. Recent excavations at Fort Ancient have discovered the remains of Hopewell culture houses and ceremonial features both inside and outside of the enclosure walls. It is not known whether the houses located inside the enclosure were occupied before or after the enclosure was built. It also has yet to be determined whether the houses were the dwellings of more or less full time residents, or the temporary shelters of visitors. The Fort Ancient Earthworks is an Ohio Historical Society site open to visitation. It is located seven miles southeast of Lebanon, in Warren County, Ohio. In addition to the earthworks, the site features a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. The Fort Ancient Earthworks site also is a National Historic Landmark. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07997
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing the East Wall at Fort Ancient, ca. 1940. Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is located on the Little Miami River in Warren County, Ohio. The earthwork encloses 100 acres and is delineated by nearly 3.5 miles of earthen walls punctuated by 67 irregularly spaced gaps or gateways. Rather than an immense defensive location, current thinking maintains that it is actually a ceremonial precinct with astronomical alignments incorporated into its design. The site is subdivided into North and South Forts connected by a causeway-like Middle Fort. Fort Ancient was constructed in phases by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Centuries later the South Fort was re-occupied by a different American Indian culture, themselves referred to as the Fort Ancient people. This inconsistency in names quickly became a source of confusion among students of Ohio archaeology and remains so to the present day. Fort Ancient was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2008 it was included as one of seven Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites in Ohio under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site also features hiking trails, a picnic area and a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B02F02_E3_011
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing a dirt road at Fort Ancient. Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is located on the Little Miami River in Warren County, Ohio. The earthwork encloses 100 acres and is delineated by nearly 3.5 miles of earthen walls punctuated by 67 irregularly spaced gaps or gateways. Rather than an immense defensive location, current thinking maintains that it is actually a ceremonial precinct with astronomical alignments incorporated into its design. The site is subdivided into North and South Forts connected by a causeway-like Middle Fort. Fort Ancient was constructed in phases by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Centuries later the South Fort was re-occupied by a different American Indian culture, themselves referred to as the Fort Ancient people. This inconsistency in names quickly became a source of confusion among students of Ohio archaeology and remains so to the present day. Fort Ancient was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2008 it was included as one of seven Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites in Ohio under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site also features hiking trails, a picnic area and a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B02F02_E9_002
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of employees of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) building a platform on the north lookout at Fort Ancient. Part of President Roosevelt's New Deal program, the CCC was formed to help preserve public land in the United States while also helping unemployed young men of the time. The program was in existence from 1933 until 1942. Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is located on the Little Miami River in Warren County, Ohio. The earthwork encloses 100 acres and is delineated by nearly 3.5 miles of earthen walls punctuated by 67 irregularly spaced gaps or gateways. Rather than an immense defensive location, current thinking maintains that it is actually a ceremonial precinct with astronomical alignments incorporated into its design. The site is subdivided into North and South Forts connected by a causeway-like Middle Fort. Fort Ancient was constructed in phases by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Centuries later the South Fort was re-occupied by a different American Indian culture, themselves referred to as the Fort Ancient people. This inconsistency in names quickly became a source of confusion among students of Ohio archaeology and remains so to the present day. Fort Ancient was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2008 it was included as one of seven Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites in Ohio under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site also features hiking trails, a picnic area and a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B02F02_E4_008
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County; Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.);
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: This aerial photograph documents the Fort Ancient earthworks near Oregonia, Ohio. Fort Ancient, an earthworks featuring 18,000 feet of earthen walls, was built 2,000 years ago by Hopewell Indians who used the shoulder blades of deer, split elk antler, clam shell hoes and digging sticks to dig the dirt. They then carried the soil in baskets holding 35 to 40 pounds. Portions of these walls were used in conjunction with the sun and moon to provide a calendar system for these peoples. Early settlers believed the mounds were fortifications, leading to the naming of the site "Fort Ancient." It is part of the Ohio Historical Society's system of historic sites. The photograph shown here measures 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm). In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large--the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3238_4412117_001
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1-400); Earthworks (Archaeology); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Oregonia (Ohio); Lebanon (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph looking northeast at the east walls of the new fort at Fort Ancient. Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is located on the Little Miami River in Warren County, Ohio. The earthwork encloses 100 acres and is delineated by nearly 3.5 miles of earthen walls punctuated by 67 irregularly spaced gaps or gateways. Rather than an immense defensive location, current thinking maintains that it is actually a ceremonial precinct with astronomical alignments incorporated into its design. The site is subdivided into North and South Forts connected by a causeway-like Middle Fort. Fort Ancient was constructed in phases by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Centuries later the South Fort was re-occupied by a different American Indian culture, themselves referred to as the Fort Ancient people. This inconsistency in names quickly became a source of confusion among students of Ohio archaeology and remains so to the present day. Fort Ancient was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2008 it was included as one of seven Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites in Ohio under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site also features hiking trails, a picnic area and a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B02F02_E5_001
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing enclosure walls at Fort Ancient. Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is located on the Little Miami River in Warren County, Ohio. The earthwork encloses 100 acres and is delineated by nearly 3.5 miles of earthen walls punctuated by 67 irregularly spaced gaps or gateways. Rather than an immense defensive location, current thinking maintains that it is actually a ceremonial precinct with astronomical alignments incorporated into its design. The site is subdivided into North and South Forts connected by a causeway-like Middle Fort. Fort Ancient was constructed in phases by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Centuries later the South Fort was re-occupied by a different American Indian culture, themselves referred to as the Fort Ancient people. This inconsistency in names quickly became a source of confusion among students of Ohio archaeology and remains so to the present day. Fort Ancient was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2008 it was included as one of seven Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites in Ohio under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site also features hiking trails, a picnic area and a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B02F02_E6_027
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: These two photographs show visitors at Fort Ancient earthworks near Oregonia, Ohio. Fort Ancient, an earthworks featuring 18,000 feet of earthen walls, was built 2,000 years ago by Hopewell Indians who used the shoulder blades of deer, split elk antler, clam shell hoes and digging sticks to dig the dirt. They then carried the soil in baskets holding 35 to 40 pounds. Portions of these walls were used in conjunction with the sun and moon to provide a calendar system for these peoples. Early settlers believed the mounds were fortifications, leading to the naming of the site "Fort Ancient." It is part of the Ohio Historical Society's system of historic sites. The photographs shown here measures 5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.78 cm). In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large--the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3240_4412157_001
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County
Places: Oregonia (Ohio); Lebanon (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work on the ravine at Fort Ancient. Part of President Roosevelt's New Deal program, the CCC was formed to help preserve public land in the United States while also helping unemployed young men of the time. The program was in existence from 1933 until 1942. Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is located on the Little Miami River in Warren County, Ohio. The earthwork encloses 100 acres and is delineated by nearly 3.5 miles of earthen walls punctuated by 67 irregularly spaced gaps or gateways. Rather than an immense defensive location, current thinking maintains that it is actually a ceremonial precinct with astronomical alignments incorporated into its design. The site is subdivided into North and South Forts connected by a causeway-like Middle Fort. Fort Ancient was constructed in phases by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Centuries later the South Fort was re-occupied by a different American Indian culture, themselves referred to as the Fort Ancient people. This inconsistency in names quickly became a source of confusion among students of Ohio archaeology and remains so to the present day. Fort Ancient was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2008 it was included as one of seven Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites in Ohio under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site also features hiking trails, a picnic area and a museum with interpretive exhibits about Ohio's ancient past. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B02F02_E4_009
Subjects: Fort Ancient (Ohio); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Earthworks (Archaeology); Hopewell Culture (A.D. 1-400) (A.D. 1–400); State parks & reserves; Mounds--Ohio--Warren County; Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.);
Places: Warren County (Ohio)