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Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks Nominated For Inclusion On World Heritage List

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By Compiled From N... - March 25th, 2022

Mound City Group at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park/NPS, Tom Engberg

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ohio has been included in the nomination of a collection of earthworks that dates back more than 1,000 years ago to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's World Heritage List.

The “Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks” nomination includes a group of eight archaeological sites in southern Ohio, located within both Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and related properties owned by the State of Ohio and the Ohio History Connection. This nomination will be considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in the summer of 2023.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks include: 

  • Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, including the Mound City Group, Hopewell Mound Group, Seip Earthworks, High Bank Earthworks, and Hopeton Earthworks 
  • Newark Earthworks State Memorial, including the Octagon Earthworks and Great Circle Earthworks 
  • Fort Ancient State Memorial 

"World Heritage designation would be a tremendous opportunity to elevate the outstanding universal value these sites have, and to further the effort to protect them for future generations to appreciate and enjoy,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are an important example of the ancient history of the Indigenous peoples of America that help us tell the world the whole story of America and the remarkable diversity of our cultural heritage.”

These earthworks were built during the middle Woodland period (1,500 – 2,200 years ago) by American Indians, people now referred to as the Hopewell Culture, according to a Park Service release. Built on an enormous scale and using a standard unit of measure, the earthworks form precise squares, circles, and octagons, as well as a hilltop sculpted to enclose a vast plaza. The geometric forms are consistently deployed across great distances and encode alignments with both the sun’s cycles and the far more complex patterns of the moon. Artifacts, which are among the most outstanding art objects produced in pre-Columbian North America, show that those who built the earthworks interacted with people as far away as the Yellowstone basin and Florida. These are among the largest earthworks in the world that are not fortifications or defensive structures.

“We are honored to propose these eight remarkable Indigenous earthworks for World Heritage designation. Many years of collaboration among Ohio History Connection, the National Park Service, Ohio-connected Tribal nations, and diverse supporters have made this possible,” said Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of Ohio History Connection. “The whole world will now learn about the incredible accomplishments of American Indian ancestors in Ohio, how relevant these amazing earthworks remain today, and how essential their preservation is for the future.”

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is composed of  representatives  from  21 nations,  elected from the members of the  UNESCO  World Heritage Convention; it will be advised by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and makes the final decision on nominations. If designated, the earthworks would join Stonehenge, Mesa Verde, and the Nazca Lines in Peru as some of the examples of monumental works by ancient peoples recognized on the list.

The  NPS  manages all or part of 19  of the 24  World Heritage Sites in the United States.  It is also  the principal  U.S.  government  agency responsible for implementing the  World Heritage  Convention  in cooperation with  the Department of State.  The  NPS  is undertaking this effort with full cooperation of the property owners concerned. Inclusion of a site in the World Heritage List does not affect  U.S.  sovereignty or management over the sites, which remain subject only to  U.S.  law.

Everglades National Park, which already is on the list of World Heritage sites, is the only site in the United States that is considered in danger due to invasive species, encroaching development, surface water pollution, mercury contamination, and other threats.

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