United States of America

Hopewell

WHS Score 2.23
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0.5

  • Solivagant

1.0

  • Roger Ourset

1.5

  • Alexander Lehmann
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2.0

  • Els Slots
  • Kim, Soo-youn
  • Philipp Peterer

2.5

  • GerhardM
  • Kyle Magnuson
  • ZCTLife

3.0

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  • Ted Coombs
  • Timothy C Easton

4.5

  • Lameduck99

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks comprise the remains of ceremonial centers of the Hopewell culture.

The site comprises eight monumental earthen enclosure complexes, often used for burials. They were constructed with geometric precision to align with astronomical cycles. The Earthworks were created during the Middle and Late Woodland Periods of North America (1-1000 CE).

Community Perspective: Hopewell Culture National Historical Park - Mound City, Newark Earthworks - Great Circle and Seip Earthworks are considered the key components among the eight locations. From the ground, the scale of these circle mounds are difficult to fully appreciate.  All are best accessible by car from Columbus, Ohio.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (ID: 1689)
Country
United States of America
Status
Inscribed 2023 Site history
History of Hopewell
2008: Revision
Successor to Mound City Group National Monument FTWHS
2023: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • i
  • iii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • Dec. 17, 2024 cleveland.com — From golf course to World Heritage site: Ohio’s Octagon Earthworks opens next month
  • Aug. 2, 2024 abcnews.go.com — Ohio historical society settles with golf club to take back World Heritage tribal site
  • May 30, 2024 apnews.com — Golfers want millions to give up WHS

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Pre-Columbian
  • Urban landscape: Post-medieval European
Travel Information
Free entrance
Free entrance
All except for Fort Ancient
Recent Connections
View all (15) .
Connections of Hopewell
Geography
  • Mississippi Basin
    Situated in the Scioto River Valley. The river flows into the Ohio and thence to the Mississippi amd played a significant role in the Hopewell culture, serving as a transportation route and a source of resources. Some of the Hopewell sites are located directly on terraces overlooking the Scioto River.
Ecology
  • Obsidian
    'The continent-wide reach of the interactions of this culture is evident in raw materials such as mica, copper, and obsidian brought from as far away as the Rocky Mountains more than 2,500 kilometres distant. The quantity, diversity, and aesthetic quality of these artefacts have few equals in the history of American Indian artistry.' - AB Evaluation
Architecture
  • Earth Architecture
    "these earthworks consist of embankment walls enclosing huge spaces, with carefully positioned and often monumental gateways" (AB ev)
  • Octagons
    "Huge earthen squares, circles, and octagons are executed with a precision of form" (AB ev)
World Heritage Process
Human Activity
  • Golf Courses
    The Octagon Earthworks has been leased to a golf club since 2011. In 2022 the property confirmed "the cessation of the use of the Octagon Earthworks as a golf course that restricts public access. This situation was considered incompatible with the proposed Outstanding Universal Value" (AB ev)
  • Geoglyphs
    "Huge earthen squares, circles, and octagons are executed with a precision of form" (AB ev)
Constructions
  • Necropolises
    "Mound City ... a clustered Hopewell necropolis, of which it is the only surviving example. " (nom file)
  • Tumuli
    Mound City: ".. the highest density of burial mounds of any Hopewell earthwork." (nom file)
Timeline
Science and Technology
  • Astronomy and Astrology
    "the key attributes of the nominated property are ... the astronomical alignments" (AB ev)
Visiting conditions
WHS Names
News
cleveland.com 12/17/2024
From golf course to World Heritage…
abcnews.go.com 08/02/2024
Ohio historical society settles wi…
apnews.com 05/30/2024
Golfers want millions to give up W…

Community Reviews

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First published: 24/10/23.

Els Slots

Hopewell

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Hopewell by Els Slots

Only a few weeks after its inscription on the WH List, I managed to visit a number of the Hopewell Earthworks in southern Ohio. I had a fine day driving around and discovering the various components, but the site doesn’t come without its issues.

The Celebrations

To celebrate its newly won status, Fort Ancient (one of the component sites) organized special activities during the weekend of 7 and 8 October. I joined their free guided tour on Sunday morning at 9.30, and I was glad I did as it added a deep dive into the subject that I wasn’t able to get at the other locations. The tour was conducted by the Site Manager and he talked for 75 minutes about the complex history of this specific site.

Fort Ancient has multiple historic layers, of which the ‘Hopewell’ layer is only one. The visible remains are mostly original (ICOMOS called it “near pristine”), but it is hard or even impossible to get a feel of how the site looked like and was used some 2,000 years ago. For example, it now is fully covered by a forest while there was no vegetation except for grass when the ‘fort’ was developed. A lot of myths about who built it and why have been proven wrong over the years. Today’s view, in line with the other Hopewell sites, is that it was a ceremonial center where people gathered now and then (but it stayed uninhabited).

The Components

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First published: 09/08/23.

Gerhardm

Hopewell

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Hopewell by Jay T

I've been to seven of these eight sites, and I've been to four of them (Mound City, Fort Ancient, Seip Mound and Newark Earthworks) more than once. They never cease to fill me with a sense of awe. They are immense and at the same time remarkably precise; the circular earthworks are almost perfectly round, while several of the earthworks have almost perfect astronomical alignments. I particularly like that the people who constructed the earthworks lived in tiny hamlets in a society that was, so far as anyone can tell, remarkably egalitarian. These sites are a sixteen hundred year old testimony to the skill, passion, knowledge and ability to cooperate of the Native Americans who made them. I'm glad that they have been nominated and I believe that they deserve to be inscribed.  

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First published: 21/08/21.

Kyle Magnuson

Hopewell

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Hopewell by Kyle Magnuson

I visited Hopewell Culture National Historical Park - Mound City (early evening) and Newark Earthworks - Great Circle (just after sunrise). Besides what I explored, Seip Earthworks is considered and often recommended as the other key remnant of "Hopewell Culture". The other components, while important archaeological sites are perhaps more for completists.

As Mound City is managed by the National Park Service the interpretation is quite good and as I arrived just before a major storm, I had a personal guide for a full hour before the downpour began. We began at the short nature trail, highlighting the native plants, including what would and would not have been present a millenia ago. As you approach the Scioto River, there are interpretive panels worth reading. An exceptional fact of "Hopewell" is that in Ancient North America, the rivers were the "highways" of their time. Scioto River connects to the Ohio River, the Ohio River connects to the Mississippi River, the Mississippi River connects to the Missouri River, and the Missouri River connects to Yellowstone River. There is a place called "Obsidian Cliff" in Yellowstone National Park (a National Historic Landmark), which includes panels about its importance to indigenous people (most visitors drive right by which is understandable). Obsidian from this cliff in Yellowstone has been found in archeological digs at Hopewell. The "Great Circle" at Newark is impressive, yet doesn't have the same amount of interpretation as the National Historic Park, which these sites really benefit from. Arriving just after …

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First published: 16/01/11.

Anonymous

Hopewell

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Hopewell by Jay T

I have visited the Newark Earthworks in Newark, Ohio and they truly are a wonder of the ancient world. The enormity of the Great Circle and Octagon astounded me and I will never forget the feeling I had when I first walked within the walls of these two sites.

I encourage everyone to visit!

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First published: 16/01/11.

Anonymous

Hopewell

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Hopewell by Jay T

Having had the privilege of leading group tours and school groups around the Newark Earthworks for years, I never fail to be delighted and amazed by how these mounds and enclosures affect those who visit. Some come from far away with long considered intent, and their knowledge and passion are always inspiring, but I really enjoy the reaction from people who have been driving past the mounds for their whole lives, and then "come to visit," and you see them open up to the site and the stories within. There's a look on their faces as they start to take in what they've long seen but not noticed -- World Heritage status will enhance & increase that experience.

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First published: 16/01/11.

Anonymous

Hopewell

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Hopewell by Jay T

The Great Octagon - the finest example of an ancient lunar observatory. This site represents a milestone in human understanding of the solar system. No other lunar site in the world is so sophisticated or well preserved. It is one of the easiest earthworks to access and so present a prime opportunity to bring this little known chapter in human development to the public eye.

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First published: 16/01/11.

Anonymous

Hopewell

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Hopewell by Jay T

The Newark Earthworks are incredible. The Octagon structure, at night, illustrates the lunar calendar constructs. The Great Circle is smaller in size but easy to access and includes a small museum. I have enjoyed many earth structure in the United States, Brazil, Ireland, and Portugal and the Hopewell structures are worth visiting.

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