The Newark Earthworks in Newark and Heath, Ohio, consist of three sections of preserved earthworks: the Great Circle Earthworks, the Octagon Earthworks, and the Wright Earthworks. This complex, built by the Hopewell culture between 100 BCE and 400 CE, contains the largest earthen enclosures in the world, and was about 3,000 acres in total extent while using more than 7 million cubic feet of earth. These earthworks have been designated as a National Historic Landmark, as the official prehistoric monument of the State of Ohio, and most recently as a UNESCO World Heritage site along with the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and Fort Ancient sites, forming the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks. Why did the Hopewell build such monumental works? Were they prehistoric forts or ancient American cathedrals? Joining us to answer these questions and more is Dr. Brad Lepper, the Senior Archaeologist for the Ohio History Connection’s World Heritage Program. 

Dr. Lepper's primary areas of interest include the Ice Age peoples of North America, Ohio's magnificent mounds and earthworks, and the history of North American archaeology. He has written extensively on these subjects and is the author of the book, Ohio Archaeology: an illustrated chronicle of Ohio's ancient American Indian cultures, published in 2005 by Orange Frazer Press. Especially noteworthy research includes the excavation of the Burning Tree mastodon in December of 1989 (named one of the top 50 science discoveries of 1990 by Discover magazine in their January 1991 issue) and the discovery of the Great Hopewell Road, first reported in 1995 (see Archaeology magazine, November/December 1995). Dr. Lepper's research on the Great Hopewell Road was featured in the public television documentary Searching for the Great Hopewell Road first broadcast in April of 1998. 

This program is free and open to the public. It is held in the lecture hall of the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum; doors open at 6:30 and the program begins at 7:00 pm. 

This program is made possible, in part, by Ohio Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Ohio Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.