Newark Earthworks
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Hopewell peoples built what has been compared to Stonehenge in England: an enormous Earthwork that originally covered at least 3,000 acres, even though its true measurements are lost in antiquity. Rather than naming one specific tribe or native affiliation, prehistory in the United States is divided into periods, and these periods are occupied by an archaeological or artifactually-observed culture. Between 200 BC and AD 500 in the Middle Woodland period, this culture was known as the Hopewell culture or tradition.
Images
Visible proof of how modern times have encroached upon the Newark Earthworks as golfers play golf on the adjacent golf course
Salisbury map from 1862 showing the Newark Earthworks, including the Great Hopewell Road.
Original survey drawing from "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley" 1848
Site map of the area during the original survey showing its proximity to other known works sharing the area
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
This is the largest known earthen enclosure in the world. The geometric enclosures were connected by walled roadways. At one point it covered more than four square miles. However, only 206 acres of the original 3,000 are preserved to this day, with three portions of the Earthworks remaining. The Hopewell peoples built the architectural wonder between 100 B.C. and 500 A.D. with a widespread purpose. The three remaining portions are the Great Circle Earthworks, Octagon Earthworks, and the Wright Earthworks. Without a written record it has been impossible for archaeologists to determine what purpose the Earthworks served. However, one theory that has garnered interest by Earlham College professors Ray Hively and Robert Horn is that the Hopewell culture built the Earthworks in relation to the moon rising and setting. They did such a precise job that it is said that modern survey equipment could not do a better job. They also discovered the builders had encoded geometry and astronomical knowledge within the design.
The Great Circle Earthwork is almost 1,200 feet in diameter. The walls are eight feet tall and surround a five-foot-deep moat. The Octagon Earthwork is also very impressive, enclosing 50 acres. It has eight walls that are 550 feet long and stand five to six feet in height. The Wright Earthworks originally featured a square that had sides between 940 feet and 950 feet in length.
These earthworks are assumed to have had various uses. The geometric and astronomical uses of the earthworks are of particular interest because of their precision. Additionally, the earthworks are suspected to have been used as celebration, social and worship centers, and one section was even used as a cemetery. The Hopewell culture is known for its elaborate burials and extensive trade network. Their trade system stretched from the southeastern Carolinas to Canada.
In 2006, the State of Ohio declared the Newark Earthworks the official prehistoric monument of Ohio.
Sources
“Newark Earthworks,” Ohio History Connection (accessed July 11, 2016) , https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/newark-earthworks “Newark American Indian Mounds the Eighth Wonder of the World? You Decide,” Indian Country, June 7, 2013, ( accessed July 11, 2016) , http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/06/07/newark-american-indian-mounds-eighth-wonder-wor... “Newark Earthworks Center,” The Ohio State University Newark, ( accessed July 10, 2016) , http://newark.osu.edu/initiatives/newark-earthworks-center.html
E. H. Davis, E. G. Squier. Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. 1848. https://archive.org/stream/ancientmonuments00squi#page/n161/mode/2up/search/newark.