Brad Lepper at the British Museum pointing out the exhibit panel with images of Newark’s Octagon Earthworks and Serpent Mound.

Since we were going to be in Paris for the installation of the Adena Effigy Pipe at the Musée du quai Branly, I took the opportunity to visit London as well and, in particular, the British Museum. The British Museum has the Edwin Davis collection of artifacts from the Chillicothe area, including the fabulous collection of effigy pipes from Mound City. As an illustration of the monumental geometric enclosures of the Hopewell culture the exhibit includes an aerial photograph of Newark’s Octagon Earthworks. It’s gratifying to know that, as part of this introduction to the ancient cultures of North America, the international audience of the British Museum gets to see this image of one of the grandest architectural achievements of indigenous America.

Brad Lepper

Detail of the panel showing the aerial photograph of the Octagon Earthworks taken by Richard Pirko