Ceremonial Places

Archaeology has revealed one of the most distinctive traditions of the Ohio Hopewell here in the construction and use of ceremonial buildings, places to honor the dead and the living. Excavations at Mound City of 19 of the 24 mounds show varying ceremonial building patterns. The structure at this site was a bent-pole building, oblong or oval in shape with straightened sides, with doorways at each end. Interior walls flanked the longest sides, and supports in the middle suggest an elevated deck floor. Ceremonial leaders conducted many social and religious activities in these buildings. During burial preparations, remains were cremated there, and the ashes were covered in a small mound, either with or without burial goods depending on the deceased's social or economic ranking. The buildings also accommodated mourning, and some archaeologists believe feasts or food offerings were presented there. Once ceremonies were complete, the buildings were burned down or dismantled and then covered by mounds.

Ohio · United States