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Fort Ancient
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About 2,000 years ago the people of the Hopewell Culture, carrying woven baskets of soil weighing 35
to 40 pounds each, constructed 18,000 feet of earthen walls at Fort Ancient, near present-day Lebanon.
To recognize the enormity of this complex mound-building project, and the site's distinction as the
best preserved Hopewell hilltop enclosure in the country, Fort Ancient was names as National Historic
Landmark.
The three and one-half miles of earthworks contain approximately sixty-seven openings, dispelling
earlier beliefs that the walls were used for defensive means. Archaeologists theorize that the walls,
ranging from 4 to 23 feet in height, set off the area as a place for people who lived in the region to
conduct ceremonies or exchange goods. Portions of these walls were used in conjunction with the sun
and moon to provide a calendar system for these peoples.
The Museum at Fort Ancient offers students a detailed exploration of the 15,000 years of American
Indian history in the Ohio Valley. The education classroom has a number of hands-on areas depicting
daily life of American Indians as well as a timeline. A prehistoric garden adjacent to the building
offers a look at the agricultural plants and methods of these "first Ohioans."
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