Anthropology 2231F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Newark Earthworks, Grave Goods, Social Inequality
13 Jul 2012
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Brad lepper: believed the earth-work road went as far as 90 miles away to another center; called it the hopewell road . Very precise dimensions and lengths on structures: distances equal across sites, area of circles, octagons and squares the same. Layouts tied into astronomical observations (e. g. lunar alignments, solar movement) common throughout hopewell: large circle between a square and a smaller circle, pattern and size repeated at other sites. Seip site: considerable degree of knowledge of geometry, astronomy, and planning; also ability to manage large work force. Majority of mounds are conical, few flattop mounds. All burial mounds: always evidence of structures under the mounds, mortuary facilities or charnal houses. Built structures when people died, eventually torn down and mound built over: structures mimic the large circle, square, small circle pattern of the earthworks. Cremation: cremated in a clay-lined pit, 80% of burials were cremations, left out for a long period of time to deflesh the bodies.
