Ohio Journey 🚀 Back To The Future.
Last month I made a Pilgrimage to the Great Circle Earthworks in Newark, Ohio, where two of my works, Ancestral Plane and Burning Tree, are on display at “Mounds, Moon and Stars: The Legacy of Ohio’s Magnificent Mounds” at the Works Gallery (Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology). I really wanted to see the Great Circle Earthworks nearby.
Good friend Peter Burk, was generous enough to drive me there from his abode in Pittsburgh, PA (I love Pittsburgh).
In fact, he’s responsible for the title of this newsletter.
In his words:
“Back to the future indicates a return to ancient sacred places, and reconnecting also holds a key to the future – the things and energy the ancient sacred places represent and symbolize are important to help in rebalancing our world, spirits, and the land.”
Arriving at The Works Gallery in Newark, Ohio
A Mecca of Art, Architecture and Ritual
The “Mounds, Moon and Stars”show was curated by Great Circle Alliance founders Belinda Gore and Marcus Boroughs. We met up with them at the exhibit and were enlightened by their amazing findings about the Great Circle Earthworks and Hopewell culture.
I was impressed with their level of research and the in depth and contextual writings contained on each exhibit panel!
It turns out the Ohio River Valley (Ohio meaning “the beautiful river”) has been a highly desirable place to live for thousands of years…a land of plenty and a crossroads of specialty trading, spiritual tradition, astronomy, engineering know how, mathematics and art crafted from materials that came from far and wide!
The ancestors of indigenous groups still living in the region today established major cultural centers spanning the entire region. The Great Circle Earthworks started off as a natural sacred site and was shaped and developed over time into a gathering, trading and ceremonial destination…a North American Indigenous Mecca if you will.
The show spanned a wide swath of time and artifacts, from flint projectiles and ancient carvings…
…up to modern day indigenous painters and sculptors (myself included):
Guided Tour of the Great Circle Earthworks
Walking the Great Circle Earthworks!
Belinda and Marcus are pointing out some info on location. This plaque is directly facing the entrance of the circle.
…and after getting properly oriented, we proceeded to walk across the Great Circle as far as the Eagle Mound, which is located in the center (see Great Circle close up below):
The two photos below show the entrance way to the circle. These ditches with embankments veer off to each side, forming a very precise earthen circle that spans 1200 feet in diameter (as seen in the close up above)!
The mathematical precision used to build the Newark Earthworks is nothing short of astounding! In fact, sophisticated knowledge went into the layout of this entire complex. Intentional geometric connections were established between various parts, including the ability to “square the circle.”
The circumference of the Great Circle is equal to the perimeter of the Wright Square. The area of the large circle at the Octagon Earthworks is equal to the area of the Wright Square. In fact, each of the separate earthworks has a geometrical connection to one or more of the other earthworks
https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/opinion/2020/05/24/brad-lepper-newark-earthworks-more-than-great-circle-and-octagon/5213123002/
Eagle Mound Launching Pad
The Eagle Mound is shaped like an eagle and is structured like a gigantic ramp or launching pad (possibly for facilitating the spirits of the dead on their journey back to the star world):
…and now attempting to
lift off !
The Octagon Earthwork
The Newark Earthwork Complex was built by the Hopewell culture between 100 BCE and 400 CE. It contains the largest earthen enclosure in the world, and is also the largest system of connected geometric earthworks built anywhere in the world.
Its construction involved 7 million cubic feet of earth. It covers more than 4.5 square miles. The largest pyramid in Egypt would fit comfortably inside the square. The Roman coliseum would fit in quadruplet inside the Octagon. Stonehenge would fit inside the smaller circle.
The Newark Earthwork Complex consists of three sections of preserved earthworks: the Great Circle Earthworks, the Wright Earthworks and the Octagon Earthwork (the closeup below highlights the Octagon enclosure):
Think of the Octagon as a 50 acre mirror to the sky! The main axis of the Octagon aligns with the moon’s orbit, lining up with key lunar rise and set points spanning an 18.6-year cycle. Building according to these cosmic rhythms was a way to affirm the sacredness of the location.
Imagine Stonehenge Doubling as a Golf Course!?
While visiting the Octagon, we were appalled to learn that it is currently operating as a golf course! Even though having it be a golf course helped to preserve it up to the present.
The Newark Earthwork Complex is soon to be approved as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
This is long overdue!
Can you imagine golfing being permitted at Stonehenge or at the Great Pyramids of Giza? How about Chartres Cathedral? The Acropolis? The Caves of Lascaux perhaps?
