The Newark Earthworks : enduring monuments, contested meanings /

As the editors note, there has not been a comprehensive book interpreting the Newark Earthworks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ohio. Hopewell culture spanned much of eastern North America and beyond. Dating from 100 BCE to 400 CE, the Newark Earthworks cover four and a half square miles and include huge circular, octagonal, and square enclosures that represent the largest and most complex geometric archaeological sites in the world. Divided into six sections, the 15 chapters explore Newark in the context of US and Ohio history; the function of Newark within the context of Hopewell culture and archaeoastronomy; cross-cultural comparisons with Nazca, Chaco, and Stonehenge; Newark in the context of its architectural history, cartography, and religious studies; Newark in the context of indigenous rights and identity; and Newark in the context of law and jurisprudence. There are various interpretations of how these impressive earthworks functioned within Hopewell society, ranging from a vast ritual complex devoted to the regeneration of the earth and earthwork alignments to lunar cycles that brought large populations to this amazing pilgrimage center. Importantly, two articles explore the relationship of Native Americans today to the Newark Earthworks, and one on Hawaiians' view of their own ceremonial heritage. Well illustrated with 23 pages of bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and academic libraries. --James Bushnell Richardson, University of Pittsburgh