Portsmouth Earthworks are a large prehistoric mound complex constructed by the Ohio Hopewell culture mound builder indigenous peoples of eastern North America (100 BCE to 500 CE). The site was one of the largest earthwork ceremonial centers constructed by the Hopewell and is located at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio Rivers, in present-day Ohio.
Tags: Horseshoe Mound in Portsmouth Ohio Portsmouth Earthworks prehistoric mound complex Hopewell tradition Ohio Hopewell tradition ohio hopewell culture hopewell culture ohio hopewell culture mound builders hopewell culture mound builders ohio earthwork ceremonial centers earthwork ceremonial centers scioto & ohio River & Portsmouth earthworks Ephraim George Squier Archaeologist Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley Portsmouth Earthworks Group B National Register of Historic Places in Scioto County Ohio fort ancient culture ohio hopewell adena cultural mounds in ohio ohio mounds ohio parellel-walled mounds ohio circular enclosures ohio horseshoe shaped enclosures
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Originally, the Portsmouth Earthworks consisted of three sections extending over twenty miles of the Ohio River valley, crossing from Ohio to Kentucky in several places. It was surveyed and mapped by E. G. Squier in 1847 for inclusion in the seminal archaeological and anthrolopological work Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley.[
Tags: Horseshoe Mound in Portsmouth Ohio Portsmouth Earthworks prehistoric mound complex Hopewell tradition Ohio Hopewell tradition ohio hopewell culture hopewell culture ohio hopewell culture mound builders hopewell culture mound builders ohio earthwork ceremonial centers earthwork ceremonial centers scioto & ohio River & Portsmouth earthworks Ephraim George Squier Archaeologist Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley Portsmouth Earthworks Group B National Register of Historic Places in Scioto County Ohio fort ancient culture ohio hopewell adena cultural mounds in ohio ohio mounds ohio parellel-walled mounds ohio circular enclosures ohio horseshoe shaped enclosures
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Originally, the Portsmouth Earthworks consisted of three sections extending over twenty miles of the Ohio River valley, crossing from Ohio to Kentucky in several places. It was surveyed and mapped by E. G. Squier in 1847 for inclusion in the seminal archaeological and anthrolopological work Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
The northernmost section was made up of a number of circular enclosures, two large horseshoe-shaped enclosures, and three sets of parallel-walled roads leading away in different directions. One set of walled roads extends across the Ohio River into South Portsmouth, Kentucky to the southwest to Portsmouth Earthworks, Group A. Another set of walled roads lead to the southeast where it also crossed the Ohio River and lead to Portsmouth Earthworks, Group C. The third set of walled roads lead to the northwest for an undetermined distance, and may point to Tremper Mound and Works, some 5 miles away. The City of Portsmouth maintains a public park which includes one of the remaining horseshoe-shaped enclosures, known as Mound Park, it is the only publicly accessible part of the complex. Under the name Horseshoe Mound it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Tags: Horseshoe Mound in Portsmouth Ohio Portsmouth Earthworks prehistoric mound complex Hopewell tradition Ohio Hopewell tradition ohio hopewell culture hopewell culture ohio hopewell culture mound builders hopewell culture mound builders ohio earthwork ceremonial centers earthwork ceremonial centers scioto & ohio River & Portsmouth earthworks Ephraim George Squier Archaeologist Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley Portsmouth Earthworks Group B National Register of Historic Places in Scioto County Ohio fort ancient culture ohio hopewell adena cultural mounds in ohio ohio mounds ohio parellel-walled mounds ohio circular enclosures ohio horseshoe shaped enclosures
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Architecture is the prominent representation of the Hopewell culture used by historians to earmark the period. Earthworks and burial mounds which were used for a multitude of ceremonies such as religious practices and funerals were discovered intact throughout the Midwestern region; these mounds provide insight to this relatively unknown lifestyle. Hopewell cultural groups created a number of earthworks in varying forms, ranging from geometric complexes, hilltop enclosures, and conical mounds which could be found around fertile rivers or stream valleys. Many of them, considered to be used for burial purposes, were filled with a varied amount of exotic goods which demonstrated a possible hierarchical system within the community. The most prominent example of Hopewell burial mounds can be found in Chillicothe, Ohio at the Mound City Group. Ohio is considered to be the epicenter for the most impressive Hopewell earthworks.
Tags: Horseshoe Mound in Portsmouth Ohio Portsmouth Earthworks prehistoric mound complex Hopewell tradition Ohio Hopewell tradition ohio hopewell culture hopewell culture ohio hopewell culture mound builders hopewell culture mound builders ohio earthwork ceremonial centers earthwork ceremonial centers scioto & ohio River & Portsmouth earthworks Ephraim George Squier Archaeologist Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley Portsmouth Earthworks Group B National Register of Historic Places in Scioto County Ohio fort ancient culture ohio hopewell adena cultural mounds in ohio ohio mounds ohio parellel-walled mounds ohio circular enclosures ohio horseshoe shaped enclosures
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