Site · United States
Newark Earthworks
Hopewell, 100 BCE–400 CE
Newark is the largest set of geometric earthworks in the world, built by Hopewell people between about 100 BCE and 400 CE: a Great Circle 1,200 feet across, an Octagon joined to a circle whose axis records the 18.6-year lunar standstill, and connecting walls that once ran for miles. Together with Fort Ancient and the Hopewell Culture park sites it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2023.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State / province | Ohio |
| Dates | 100 BCE–400 CE |
| Status | State Memorial, National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site (Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, 2023) |
| Managed by | Ohio History Connection |
| Access | The Great Circle has a museum and open grounds; the Octagon, formerly leased to a golf club, has been open to the public since 2025 after Ohio History Connection took full possession. |
| Coordinates | 40.042, -82.43 (public site) |
What was found
Nineteenth-century and later excavations recovered Hopewell mica cutouts, copper, obsidian, pipes and pottery from mounds within the enclosures, and geophysical survey has traced the original walls and parallel avenues under the modern town.
Rules
Nothing may be collected or disturbed; the earthworks are protected by Ohio Revised Code provisions on archaeological sites and by ARPA and NAGPRA as a National Historic Landmark receiving federal support. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Newark Earthworks" (Site). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/sites/newark-earthworks. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-newark-earthworks,
title = {Newark Earthworks},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/sites/newark-earthworks}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.