Ancient site · Earthwork
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (Newark)
Also known as Newark Earthworks, Octagon Earthworks, Great Circle
The Newark Earthworks in Ohio, with a Great Circle about 360 metres across and an Octagon joined to a circle, are the largest geometric earthen enclosures in the world. The Octagon is aligned to the 18.6-year cycle of moonrises.
Built by people of the Hopewell tradition, they belong with Mound City, Hopewell Mound Group and other Ohio sites to the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, inscribed in 2023 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They were places for gatherings, feasts, funerals and ceremonies.
- Dates
- c. 1–400 CE
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 40.04° N, 82.43° W
How we know
No writing existed; the earthworks are dated by radiocarbon and by Hopewell objects found in nearby mounds.
Nearby sites
- Great Serpent Mound built c. 300 BCE (Adena) or c. 1000 CE (Fort Ancient) — disputed
- Grave Creek Mound c. 250–150 BCE
- Poverty Point c. 1700–1100 BCE
- Watson Brake c. 3500–3000 BCE
- Blackwater Draw (Clovis type site) Clovis level c. 11,100–10,800 BCE
- El Mirador main city c. 600 BCE – 150 CE (later reoccupied)
Related
- Hopewell tradition archaeological culture
- The world in 1 BCE: The Augustan World chapter