Ohio prehistoric sites

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Mike Sharp - (WT-shared) 2old at wts wikivoyage

Original uploader was (WT-shared) 2old at wts wikivoyage

Ephraim George Squier

Evidence of humans in Ohio goes back as far as 13,000 BC, with the first inhabitants after the last ice age most likely being Paleo-Indians who seemed to have disappeared after the Younger Days impact event. Later they were replaced by Archaic people who are referred to as Native Americans. The Archaic period is divided into Early, Middle and Late Archaic periods, it is thought of as (possibly) the second period of human occupation that took place 8,000 BC to 1,000 BC. The Woodlands Period went from about 1,000 BC to 700 AD and included the Adena and Hopewell peoples who are sometimes referred to as the Mound Builders. Other cultures extended the Mound Builders period to about 1300 AD.
For reference:

Stonehenge about 3,100 BC.
Teotihuacan construction dates back to about 200 BC to 100 AD.
Chichen Itza about 600-1,000 AD.

Locations

The list below is far from a complete list of prehistoric sites in Ohio. Finding a clovis point in a farm field from a Paleo-Indian roaming your land 11,000-15,000 may be more memorable than visiting any of the historical sites. Ohio is literally littered with early human artifacts. There are many private and public displays throughout the State of “field finds”, which are far from uncommon even today.

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

address: 16062 State Route 104
Chillicothe. A group of 23 earthen mounds built by the Hopewell culture, 200 BC to AD 500.
Adena Conical Burial Mound20 feet high - 100 feet in diameter. Close to 270 W and I 70 intersection in Columbus on Montgomery St. Woodlands Period about 1,000 BC - 700 AD.
The Pyramids at MariettaLocated in Marietta. Little definitive information. Hopewell culture 100 BC–AD 500
Moundbuilders EarthworksThis site covers most of Newark. Two main areas have been preserved. One area is at the park where you will find an embankment that is 1,200 feet in diameter with earthen walls from 8 to 14 feet high enclosing a 26 acre area. The other more impressive site (Octagon Earthworks) has a golf course located in it with some efforts of preservation, there is an observation stand. Hopewell Indians (100 BC-AD 500)
Wright Earthworkslocated less than a block west of the SR 79 intersection at Grant St.in Newark, Licking County. The earthwork remnants may be viewed from James Street, a short distance from Grant Street and the SR 79 interchange. Hopewell Indians (100 BC-AD 500
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Serpant Mound State MemorialPeebles, Ohio. A serpentine effigy mound built by Adena Indians, approx. 20 feet wide and nearly 0.25 miles long. The effigy represents an uncoiling serpent. Quite an impressive sight. The museum houses artifacts, pottery, implements and models depicting the construction of the Mound. Adena (800 BC-AD 100)
SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park

address: 2301 West River Road
Dayton , Ohio. 800-year-old village built by the Fort Ancient Indians.
Flint Ridge State MemorialFlint Ridge is a restored prehistoric quarry pit with a museum that explains both the digging and shaping of flint. It is a site well worth the visit. There is a flint knap-in (teaching, exhibiting flint knapping, swap flint) every Labor Day week end. At the other end of the park there is a camping area that has a fossil swap the same week end.
Fort Ancient

address: 6123 St Rt. 350, Oregonia
18,000 feet of earthen walls built 2,000 years ago. There is 9,000 sq. foot museum, focusing on 15,000 years of the history of early man in the Ohio Valley.
Miamisburg MoundsMiamisburg Mound is the largest conical burial mound in the state of Ohio and possibly in the eastern U. S., constructed by the Adena Indians (800 BC - AD 100) on a 100-foot-high bluff, the mound measures 877 feet in circumference. Originally more than 70 feet high.
Inscription Rock Kelleys Island, Lake Erie. Pictographs by 17th century Erie Indians. Birds, animals humans, AD 1200 and 1600.
Leo Petroglyph State MemorialLeo Petroglyph is near the village of Leo, five miles northwest of Jackson, in Jackson Cnty. Fort Ancient Indians, AD 1000 and 1650.
Barnesville PetroglyphA damaged petroglyph in Barnesville.

These sacred sites have endured much over time and have diminished more since white settlers showed up in the Ohio Valley than any other time in history. One of the biggest enemies of these sites has been the invention of the cast-steel plow. Property owners have ignored the importance of the remnants of early man and have plowed over burial sites, mounds and artifacts without concern. The most common way of discovering artifacts today, is during the plowing of fields (field finds). This lack of care or respect for these monuments reflects badly on current inhabitants.

Ohio prehistoric sites

Locations

Exhibits

Associations and societies

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