The Octagon Earthworks were a focal point for the social and religious activities of the Hopewell Culture and part of the larger Newark Earthworks, a series of mounds, walls, and geometric enclosures built with great precision about 2,000 years ago and connected by long, wall-lined pathways. As the largest set of earthen enclosures ever built, the Newark Earthworks included the Octagon as a place for ceremony with alignments to the moon and stars. Many of the Octagon's walls and openings correspond with key points on the horizon where the moon rises during an 18.6-year cycle, and by marking the path of the moon and stars, the site determined the times of ceremonies when large gatherings included feasting, gift-giving, dancing, and ceremonial games, reflecting the importance of ceremony in all aspects of life and its continuing significance in Indigenous communities today.