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Hopewell Culture National Historical ParkTrees along the Scioto River.
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Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
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Visible remnants of Hopewell culture are concentrated in the Scioto River valley near the present-day Chillicothe, Ohio. The most striking Hopewell sites contain earthworks in the form of circles, squares, and other geometric shapes. Many of these sites were built to a monumental scale, with earthen walls up to 12 feet high outlining geometric figures more than 1,000 feet across. Conical and loaf-shaped earthen mounds up to 30 feet high are often found in association with the geometric earthworks. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park preserves five earthwork complexes: High Bank Works, Hopeton Earthworks, Hopewell Mound Group, Mound City Group, and Seip Earthworks.

 
 
Three of the five earthworks within the park
Squier and Davis 1848
The Scioto River valley contains numerous earthworks built and used by those of the Hopewell culture.
Octagons occur very rarely at Hopewell earthworks.
High Bank Works
Some of these earthen elements may have been aligned to astronomical events.
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The circular and squarish enclosures at Hopeton Earthworks are each 20 acres in area.
Hopeton Earthworks
This earthwork is located across the Scioto River from Mound City Group.
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One of the many earthen elements at the Hopewell Mound Group.
Hopewell Mound Group
This earthwork is the type site for the Hopewell Culture.
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Squier and Davis located a cache of pipes at this site during their excavations in the 1840s.
Mound City Group
The dense concentration of mounds at this site lead to its name- Mound City.
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Freshwater mussel shell.  

Did You Know?
Freshwater mussels were an important resource for people associated with the Hopewell culture. Mussels were used as a food source, provided pearls for ornaments, and shells were utilized for hoes.

Last Updated: April 23, 2008 at 13:01 EST