Great Circle Earthworks (Heath, Ohio)

 park, ruins, archaeological site, mound, earthwork (archaeology)

 Upload a photo

The Newark Earthworks were the largest set of geometric earthen enclosures in the world. Built by prehistoric Hopewell people between 100 BC and AD 500, this architectural wonder of ancient America was part cathedral, part cemetery, and part astronomical observatory. They are aligned to the 18.6 lunar cycle (north-south).

Originally covering more than four square miles, today only three major segments are preserved:

* Great Circle Earthworks
* Octagon Earthworks
* Wright Earthworks

ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/c08/greatcircle.shtml

In the 12th Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution, Cyrus Thomas described the Great Circle as “undoubtedly one of the best preserved ancient monuments of our country; it is uninjured by the plow and trees of the original forest are still standing on it.”

The average diameter of the Great Circle (which is not a perfect circle, but it’s close) is a bit under 1200 feet. The enclosure covers thirty acres. The height of the mound measured from ground level varies between five and fourteen feet. A deep ditch, varying in depth from eight to thirteen feet lines the interior of the mound. It is thought that this ditch once held water.

In the center of the Great Circle is a mound named Eagle Mound because it is shaped like a bird in flight or the footprint of a bird. It is one of the few effigy mounds found in Ohio.

The Great Circle is owned by the Ohio Historical Society. It is now a State Memorial.