The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio recently were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The site encompasses eight monumental earthworks that were built 2,000 years ago by Indigenous Native Americans known as the Hopewell Culture.
The site involves huge earthen squares, circles and octagons that are geometrically precise and align perfectly with the cycles of the sun and moon. They are among the finest examples of earthen architecture in the world, and part of the significance of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks arises from the fact that their architects did not live in cities and were not subjects of authoritarian rulers. Nonetheless, they cooperated to build earthworks of enormous scale and geometrical precision, and the site includes artifacts crafted from material not typically found in Ohio — like obsidian from the Rocky Mountains and seashells from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are a unique and historic marvel, and for World Heritage Day we invite you to learn more about it and other stories featured below of the 2023 World Heritage additions and more UNESCO World Heritage sites on Google Arts & Culture.
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