WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCMH) — Central and southern Ohio’s ancient earthworks designed by Indigenous Americans could soon join 1,154 world wonders — including the Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu — as a World Heritage site.
The National Park Service nominated the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, a collection of eight archeological complexes in Ohio, to the World Heritage List Thursday — a United Nations program that seeks to protect and preserve cultural sites around the world, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
The earthworks, built more than 1,500 years ago by Hopewell Culture American Indians with locations in Newark, Chillicothe and Oregonia, were designed on an “enormous scale” in geometric shapes with the intention of aligning the cyclical movements of the Sun and Moon, the National Park Service said.
“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,” Ohio History Connection executive director and CEO Burt Logan said.
Artifacts discovered at the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks indicated that Indigenous Americans who built the structures interacted with people living as far as the Yellowstone basin and Florida, the National Park Service said.
As part of an effort that’s lasted more than a decade to garner international recognition of the earthworks, the nomination will be considered by the United Nations’ World Heritage Committee in the summer of 2023, according to the release.
“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,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said. “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.”
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
Sites that are added to the World Heritage List are intended to be conserved forever, the National Park Service said.
