Join me at the Science Café at the Ohio State University on Wednesday November 5th at 6:30 PM! We’ll be talking about the amazing Newark Earthworks. The Newark Earthworks are the largest set of geometric enclosures and mounds in the world. Built by the Hopewell culture, an ancient American Indian people who lived in southern Ohio between about 100 B.C.E. and 400 C.E., these geometric earthworks covered nearly five square miles and used more than seven million cubic feet of earth in their construction.

Remarkably, they incorporated a sophisticated understanding of geometry and astronomy into their design. More remarkably, this wonder of the ancient world was built by a society without kings or even chiefs, without a concentrated urban population, and with no sustained commitment to agriculture. In case you were wondering, the ancient American Indian architects of Newark didn’t need any help from visiting Egyptians, Hebrews, or aliens from another world. Evidence suggests this amazing earthwork center was a place of ceremony and pilgrimage for peoples from across eastern North America. Two thousand years ago, it appears that Ohio truly was the heart of it all! The Science Cafe is at the 18th Avenue Library on the Ohio State University main campus. Visitor Parking is available in the Tuttle Park Place Garage. I look forward to seeing you all at the Science Café in November! Brad Lepper