Brad Lepper, Curator of Archaeology, Ohio History Connection speaks on "The Amazing Newark Earthworks--A Wonder of the Ancient World".
The Newark Earthworks are the largest set of geometric enclosures and mounds in the world. Built by the Hopewell culture, an ancient American Indian people who lived in southern Ohio between about 100 B.C.E. and 400 C.E., these geometric earthworks covered nearly five square miles and used more than seven million cubic feet of earth in their construction. The monumental earthworks incorporate a sophisticated understanding of geometry and astronomy into their design, yet they were built by a society without kings or even chiefs, without a concentrated urban population, and with no sustained commitment to agriculture. They also didn’t get any help from Egyptians, Hebrews, or space aliens.
For more information, visit the Ohio State Libraries website.
