The Ohio Hopewell Culture

 

 

Map of the Liberty Earthworks. Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis, 1848. The site is also called the Harness Works; the large mound within the Great Circle is the Edwin Hamess Mound.

 

Excavations at Edwin Harness Mound. Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, 1903. Southern end of the mound. Note the back dirt thrown behind the workers and, in the mound face being exposed, a cross section of the two main Moorehead tunnels.

 
Excavations at the Edwin Harness Mound. OHS, 1905. One of the large post molds uncovered by Mills on the northern section of the site. Hundreds of such wooden posts were used to construct the large complex civic ceremonial structure found under a series of primary mounds and the superimposed layers which formed the final single mound. Hickory was used for the main support structure, while other woods appear in isolated posts, possibly chosen for symbolic purposes.

 

Excavations of Edwin Harness Mound remnant. Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1976. General view of the remnant. The mound had been leveled for agricultural use before these excavations began.

 

Excavations of Edwin Harness Mound remnant. CMNH, 1977. Post hole in northeastern section of the major structure under the mound. Note the heavy clay floor which had been partially excavated by Mills.

 

Excavations of Edwin Harness Mound remnant. CMNH, 1977. Backfill from the OHS excavations can be seen above the in situ floor layers in the wall profile. Mills had cut into, but not through the second of three floor layers found in this northeastern area of the site. In the more central areas, Mills had excavated completely through all floor layers but not below the bottoms of the larger post holes.

 

Excavations of Edwin Harness Mound remnant. CMNH, 1976. Layers of the heavy clay floor and a typical pit cut by the Hopewell builders through these layers are visible in the wall profiles. The pit contained only charcoal from a fire which had burned elsewhere. This excavation unit was at the western edge of Mills' excavations.

 

Excavations of Edwin Harness Mound remnant. CMNH, 1976. In situ mound loadings visible in the wall profile show the variations in soils and load size used to construct this western section of the mound.

 

Excavations of Edwin Harness Mound remnant CMNH, 1977. A typical small feature containing small quantities of burned and unburned materials placed on the floor and covered by thin layers of sands. Here fragments of mica and bladelets are mingled.


Forward to the next page of this essay

Back to the previous page

Back to Online Essays

 
   Department of Anthropology
   copyright © 2002 University of Illinois, All rights reserved.
Questions and Comments to Brenda Farnell