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A network of ancient Native American ceremonial and burial mounds in Ohio described as “part cathedral, part cemetery and part astronomical observatory” was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Preservation advocates, led by the Ohio History Connection, and native tribes, many of whom have ancestral ties to the state, have pushed to recognize the Hopewell ceremonial earthworks for their good condition, distinct style and their cultural significance – describing them as “masterpieces of human genius”.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee approved the nomination at a meeting in Saudi Arabia. The massive earthworks join a list of famous sites including the Greek Acropolis, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Great Wall of China.
Built by American Indians between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago along the central tributaries of the Ohio River, the earthworks were the scene of ceremonies that drew people from across the continent, based on the archaeological discoveries of raw materials brought from as far away as the continent. Rocky Mountains.
Elaborate ceremonial linked to “the order and rhythms of the cosmos” is evident in the “beautiful ritual objects, spectacular offerings of religious icons and regalia” found at the sites, the application states. He said the mounds were “part cathedral, part cemetery, and part astronomical observatory.”
The eight sites comprising the earthworks are spread across 150 kilometers (90 miles) of what is now southern Ohio. They are remarkable for their enormous scale, geometric precision, and astronomical scale and precision, such as coding the eight lunar stops on an 18.6 year cycle.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said listing the earthworks as a heritage site “will make this important part of American history known around the world.”
“Just three months after joining UNESCO, the United States inscribed its twenty-fifth site on the World Heritage List, illustrating the richness and diversity of the country’s cultural and natural heritage,” he said. she declared. “This inscription on the World Heritage List highlights the important work of American archaeologists, who discovered remains here dating back 2,000 years, constituting one of the largest earthworks in the world.
Among the tribes that supported the UNESCO designation were the National Congress of American Indians, the Inter-Tribal Council Representing Tribes Living in Northeastern Oklahoma, and the Seneca Nation of New State York.
The application was slowed by a lengthy court battle to restore public access to part of the land that had been leased to Moundbuilders Country Club for a golf course. An Ohio Supreme Court ruling in December allowed the Ohio History Connection, the state’s historical society, to continue its effort to take control of Octagon Earthworks, part of the Newark Earthworks complex.
Other sites included under the new designation are Fort Ancient State Memorial, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Mound City Group, Hopewell Mound Group, Seip Earthworks, High Bank Earthworks and Hopeton Earthworks.
