The Ancient Earthworks in Ohio Designed with Near-Perfect Geometric Precision

Newark Earthworks, Ohio

Long before Europeans showed up, Native Americans were moving serious amounts of dirt in Ohio.

The Newark Earthworks stretch across four square miles of perfectly shaped earth walls and circles. The precision is incredible.

Here’s how they did it and what’s left to see today.

A World Wonder

The Newark Earthworks joined the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2023, ranking alongside wonders like the Egyptian pyramids.

Three sections remain today: the Great Circle (a nearly perfect ring), the Octagon (an eight-sided shape connected to a circle), and the Wright Earthworks (fragments of a square).

The Hopewell

Native Americans built these earthworks 1,600-2,000 years ago when the Roman Empire flourished across the ocean. The builders belonged to the Hopewell culture, not a single tribe but groups sharing religious practices across the eastern United States.

The Ruins of a Mighty Formation

Originally covering 3,000 acres, only 206 acres remain today. As Newark developed, people plowed over mounds for farms, cut through them for canals, and built houses on top. What we see now is just a small fraction of what once existed.

The Great Circle & the Eagle Mound

The Great Circle features walls nearly 1,200 feet across and still standing 8 feet high. Its interior includes a moat and central Eagle Mound. The walls contain enough soil to fill 20,000 modern dump trucks, all moved by hand with basic digging tools.

Wright Earthworks

Wright Earthworks once formed a perfect square with 950-foot sides. Eight small mounds stood inside, marking entrances and directions.

Earthen walls once connected this square to other parts of the complex. Canal construction in the 1820s destroyed most of this section.

The Octagon Earthworks

The Octagon Earthworks demonstrate precise geometry with eight identical 550-foot walls forming perfect angles. This 100-acre complex includes an octagon connected to a circle by parallel walls. The mathematical accuracy shows sophisticated planning without modern measuring tools.

Precise Lunar Observatory

The earthworks align perfectly with the moon’s 18.6-year cycle. The Octagon’s walls and gateways line up with the northernmost rising and setting points of the moon. This knowledge required generations of sky-watching and careful record-keeping.

A Massive Undertaking

Builders used simple tools like wooden digging sticks and shoulder blade hoes to move an estimated 7 million cubic feet of earth. Without metal tools, beasts of burden, or wheels, thousands of people carried soil in baskets, one load at a time.

A Ceremonial Hub

Unlike fortifications, these earthworks served as ceremonial gathering places. Scattered communities came together for religious ceremonies, astronomical observations, trade, and social events, maintaining connections despite living in small, distant settlements.

An Ancient Trading Center

Objects found at Newark came from across North America, such as copper from Michigan, mica from the Appalachians, shells from the Gulf of Mexico, and obsidian from Wyoming. These treasures show extensive trade networks spanning thousands of miles.

The Past Lives of the Newark Earthworks

The Great Circle served as a county fairground for 79 years until 1933. The Octagon was a militia training ground in the 1890s before becoming a golf course in 1910, with greens and fairways built around the ancient walls.

After a lengthy legal battle, the Ohio Supreme Court allowed the state to reclaim the Octagon from the golf club. On January 1, 2025, the Octagon Earthworks opened fully to the public for the first time in over a century.

Visiting Newark Earthworks

After a lengthy legal battle, the Ohio Supreme Court allowed the state to reclaim the Octagon from the golf club.

On January 1, 2025, the Octagon Earthworks opened fully to the public for the first time in over a century.

The Newark Earthworks sites are located in Newark and Heath, Ohio. All three preserved sections—Great Circle, Octagon Earthworks, and Wright Earthworks—are open daily from dawn to dusk with free admission.

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