Hopewell Culture

Hopewell Culture The national historical park includes High Bank Works (below), Hopeton Earthworks, Hopewell Mound Group (right), Mound City Group, and Seip Earthworks. Finely crafted copper headdresses, a crystal quartz projectile point (above), shell bead necklaces (below), and other objects found during excavations at Mound City provided the basis for the illustration of a Hopewell cremation ceremony (top) that might have occurred 2,000 years ago. Besides shedding light on some of the activity at the earthwork sites themselves, these objects, made of exotic materials, indicate that the Hopewell took part in a widespread trade network. (See reverse side of this brochure.) Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Ohio Hopewell earth structures such as those at Mound City were likely used for community rituals and ceremonies, such as the cremation ceremony (above). Some earthworks ap- M ounds and earthworks along the Scioto River, doubtless the work of many human hands, make us wonder. Who made them? How long have they stood? What role did they play in the lives of their builders? Beginning in the late 1700s, settlers from the eastern states migrating to the Ohio Valley found hundreds of mounds and earthworks. The Shawnee and other American Indian peoples of the region apparently knew nothing of the builders. Many tried to solve the mystery of the mounds. Some thought that the moundbuilders must be a "lost race" who vanished before the Indians of historic times arrived. In the 1840s Ephraim G. Squier, a Chillicothe newspaper editor, and Edwin H. Davis, a Chillicothe physician, systematically mapped the mounds and documented what was found inside them. The Smithsonian Institution published Squier and Davis's findings in the 1848 Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. Through later scientific studies, the "lost race" notion was Artifact photographs: National Park Service Mound diagrams from Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley pear to have been built on certain alignments between the Earth and Sun, moon, and stars, and may have been used to forecast and predict certain celestial events. laid to rest. The Hopewell peoples—American Indians who lived between 2,200 and 1,500 years ago—were recognized as the architects and builders of the mounds. National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior The Hopewell world spanned much of the eastern United States. Present-day Ohio (left) had a concentration of sites. At right is one of the mounds preserved at Mound City Group. burned or dismantled, and the entire site was covered with a large mound of earth. Wall-like earthworks sometimes surrounded groups of mounds. Squier and Davis named one site Mound City because of its unusual concentration of mounds, at least 23, encircled by a low earthen wall. During World War I, Mound City The Hopewell were named for Capt. Mordecai Hopewell, who was covered by part of an Army training facility. Camp Sherman, owned the farm where part of an extensive earthwork site was and many of the mounds were destroyed. The Ohio Historical excavated in 1891. The Hopewell settled along riverbanks in and Archeological Society conducted excavation and restoration present-day Ohio and in other regions between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico (see map on the reverse side). Excavations work in 1920-21. In 1923 the Mound City Group was declared a national monument. of dwelling sites show that they made their living by hunting, gathering, farming, and trading. The National Park Service conducted additional excavations in No one lived at the earthworks; artifacts found inside reveal the 1960s and '70s. In 1992, Mound City Group became Hopethat the mounds were built primarily to cover burials. A mound well Culture National Historical Park, which also includes four was typically built in stages: A wooden structure containing a other sites in the region: High Bank Works, Hopeton Earthclay platform was probably the scene of funeral ceremonies and works, Hopewell Mound Group, and Seip Earthworks. As you other gatherings. The dead were either cremated or buried onwalk the grounds of Mound City, remember that although we site. Objects of copper, stone, shell, and bone were placed near know of the Hopewell peoples primarily through the way they the remains. After many such ceremonies the structure was memorialized their dead, their world was very much alive. The Hopewell World I magine Mound City 2,000 years ago: On a midsummer day, young men spear fish, while w o m e n and children scoop mussels from t h e riverbank and pick berries. A toolmaker sharpens new flint bladelets. Nearby a potter mixes grit into clay in order to strengthen it for forming into a bowl. An elderly man secures a deerskin cover over a bent-pole structure that serves as a dwelling. Nettle fibers are drying in the sun; they will be twisted into fiber for fabric. Artisans, using copper and mica newly obtained in trade, fashion ornaments for use in a ceremony at the earthworks under construction on the bluffs overhead. Archeological excavations at Hopewell habitation sites provide a wealth of information about daily life long ago. Middens and trash sites indicate that Hopewell peoples hunted, fished, and gathered wild foods, supplementing their diet with cultivated crops. Patterns of small holes outline the sites of dwellings constructed of bent poles and covered w i t h skins, mats, or bark. Food processing areas marked by large, deep storage pits, earth ovens, and shallow basins are often found outside these structures. Many habitation sites were probably occupied year-round for several years before being vacated w h e n firewood and other local resources ran out. Scattered groups probably gathered at the major earthwork centers seasonally and for important occasions: feasting, trading, presenting gifts, marriages, competitions, mourning ceremonies, and of course, mound construction. Tools and ornaments used in and w o r n for these occasions were often made of materials Left: Sharks' teeth (Atlantic Ocean) adorned ceremonial clothing and jewelry. Left: Copper (Great Lakes) was hammered into thin sheets, then cut into a bird-head design to form a breast plate. Right: A copper turtle effigy containing pebbles forms a rattle. Rattles were attached to leather belts. Below: A conch shell (Gulf of Mexico) was gouged out to form a drinking vessel. Below: Bear teeth (Idaho, Wyoming) were pierced and strung on necklaces. obtained in trade: copper and silver from near the Great Lakes, obsidian (volcanic glass) from a site in present-day Yellowstone National Park, sharks' teeth and seashells from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, and mica from the southern Appalachian Mountains. Artisans fashioned these raw materials into fine objects that have been found under the mounds. By about 1,500 years ago the Hopewell w a y of life had ended. Within a f e w hundred years n e w societies emerged along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. These groups were more fully agricultural and politically more structured. Only the great mounds and earthworks remained as monuments to the onceflourishing Hopewell world. Below: Shells (Gulf of Right: Mica sheets Mexico), fashioned into (North Carolina) lined beads, were abundant in burial pits found within Hopewell burials. Strings some mounds. Like of shells andfreshwater hammered copper, mica pearls have been found sheets were also cut covering entire human familiar and abstract skeletons. shapes. Below: Obsidian (Idaho, Wyoming) was highly prized for projectile points. Several hundred pounds of obsidian were found in one mound. A r t i f a c t photographs: National Park Service Moundbuilders Timeline 2800 B.C.—Egyptian The Hopewell were pyramids built. one of several cultural groups who constructed mounds and earthworks in the Mississippi Valley. Rough timespans are Archaic Cultures given here, aRmg^rn^^ selected dates in world history. • 2000-1800 B.C.Stonehenge built. > 438 B.C.—Parthenon built at Acropolis in Athens, Greece. • 1492—Columbus's • Late 1700s—U.S. settlers begin to first voyage. migrate to Ohio Valley. > 986—LeifErikson sights North America. • 300 A.D.—Mayan temples built in Mexico. Effigy Mounds Culture Eastern Woodlands Hopewell Culture Eastern Woodlands Local Tradition Eastern Woodlands Adena Culture Southern Cult Mississippi Area Eastern Woodlands Mississippian Culture A Walking Tour of Mound City 1 Visitor Center The self-guiding interpretive trail begins here and takes you through the mound area. Points of interest are keyed to the numbered descriptions in this brochure. Another trail encircles the outer perimeter of the earthworks. During the spring and summer a brochure gives information about native plants along the trail. 2 Earthen Walls and Borrow Pits The deep borrow pits you see on either side of the trail provided the earth used to build the mounds and earthworks; they were also used to dispose of trash. The earthen wall forms a rectangular enclosure with openings to the west and east. Its shape follows the form of wooden ceremonial buildings that once stood within the confines of the wall and were burned or dismantled, their sites capped by the mounds. 3 Mica Grave Mound When this mound was first excavated in 1921, archeologists found evidence of a wooden building that contained a snanOW Ci3y oasm almost 6 feet square and lined with sheets of mica. Inside were the cremated remains of at least four individ- uals, as well as obsidian tools, raven and toad effigy pipes, and a copper headpiece of human shape. Nearby were elk and bear teeth, large obsidian points, a cache of 5,000 shell beads, and two copper headdresses— one with antlers (see illustration on the reverse side), the other possibly representing a bear. Sixteen more burials were placed on the floor of this building, which was later dismantled or burned. The mound you see now was built over the site. Long after the Hopewell era, another group of American Indians buried one of their own dead in this mound. Because they used earlier Hopewell mounds for their own burials, they are known as the Intrusive Mound Culture. 4 Mound of the Pipes Squier and Davis excavated this mound in 1847, finding some "two hundred pipes, carved in stone....The bowls of the pipes are carved in miniature figures of animals, birds, reptiles, etc. All of them are executed with strict fidelity to nature, and with exquisite skill." The exhibit in the visitor center has replicas of these pipes and original items from other mounds. This bird-and-fish effigy pipe (above left), dat ing from 100 B.C. to A.D. 400, was found in a mound at Hopewell Mound Group. 5 The Central Mound The largest of Mound City's mounds, this covers the remains of two buildings. Thirteen cremated human burials were accompanied by copper falcon effigies and fragments of human skulls that had been cut and drilled, perhaps to form part of a ceremonial mask. 6 Ceremonial Structure Here you see the outline of the elaborate wooden building erected on this spot prior to construction of the mound. There is evidence that a ceremonial structure once stood at the site of each of the mounds at Mound City. These buildings were probably similar to the "council houses" or "big houses" used by American Indians of historic times for community functions and religious ceremonies. The posts at the mound site indicate the positions of prehistoric building posts. 7 Inside a Mound Excavation of this elliptical mound revealed a complex internal structure. At its center was a low, circular, clay platform. In the concave top of the platform were ashes and cremated human remains, pottery fragments, stone and copper implements, and a large number of spear points made of flint, garnet, and obsidian. The platform was covered with a low earth mound that in turn was covered with five alternating layers of sand and earth. The mound was capped with a thick layer of gravel and pebbles. Mounds vary in many ways: number of layers, number of burials, and the kinds of artifacts they contain. Dif ferences in the way people were buried may reflect differences in the status or role they held in life. o Hopewell Settlements Hopewell people did not live inside earthen enclosures but lived nearby in small settlements along the terraces and floodplains of the Scioto River and its major tributaries. Each settlement likely contained only one to three households and shifted location periodically as nearby soils and game were depleted by farming and hunting. The river was a major source of food and water, as well as an important means of transportation. AGPO:2007—33(XK8/00645 Reprint 2002 Printed on recycled paper General Information Right: This clay pot was reassembled from shards found at Mound City. Below: A cone-shaped ornament made of iron ore mimics a mound. Hours and Activities The park visitor center, located at Mound City Group, is on Ohio 104, t w o miles north of U.S. 35 and three miles north of Chillicothe. The visitor center is open seven days a week. It is closed on Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours in summer. The grounds close at dark. Mound City has a small picnic area. Food, campgrounds, and lodging are available nearby. Regularly scheduled programs are held throughout the year. For a calendar of events or to receive the park's newsletter, please write to the park. Please arrange group tours and school tours in advance of your visit. For a Safe Visit Watch your children. The Scioto River is swift and deep, so please remain behind the railing. • Poison ivy is plentiful along the trails and in wooded areas. • Watch your footing in grassy areas and do not run. Ground squirrels dig holes in the grass. • Be alert to changing weather. Thunderstorms are common in spring and summer. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is one of more than 380 parks in the National Park System. The National Park Service cares for these special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. Visit www.nps.gov to learn more about parks and National Park Service programs in America's communities. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park 16062 State Route 104 Chillicothe, OH 45601-8694 740-774-1126 www.nps.gov/hocu Exploring Beyond Mound City Se/p Earthworks is located 17 miles west of Chillicothe on U.S. 50; it is administered by the Ohio Historical Society. The large central mound and portions of the earth wall are still visible. Nearby are a picnic area and exhibits. Hopewell Mound Group is the site of the 1891 excavation on the land of Mordecai Hopewell. This site, which later gave its name to this moundbuilding culture, is located along the North Fork of Paint Creek. Portions of the wall and mounds are still visible. The site has a parking area and a paved bicycle-hiking trail. High Bank Works and Hopeton Earthworks are closed to the public. Other Hopewell Sites in Ohio Mound City is just one of many Hopewell earthwork centers in the Scioto Valley. The Ohio Historical Society (OHS) maintains a number of these sites. For more information about OHS sites, call 1-800-686-6124.