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ly west to Chillicothe (due south
of Columbus). Its straightness has not been adequately explained,
although there are a few interesting specu- lations. Lepper defined
a possible course of the now mostly obliter- ated way by consulting
the best maps available, tying their infor- mation together to
determine the most likely places of connection en route. Because
he had to occasion- ally deal with land-owners unhappy with archaeologists
tramping about their property, Lepper was only able to find traces
of the road extant in short segments, some of which were barely
noticeable.
Near Chillicothe, another ancient earthwork, although virtually
obliterated by over-farming, has been properly surveyed. It is
shown in the accompanying illustration, because it adjoined the
south end of the road, which is actually slightly to the east
of Chillicothe. Named High Bank due to its situation on
the high bank of a small river con- tributing to the Scioto River,
the two earthworks may have been originally connected (in a cere-
monial sense) by this arrow- straight, 66.6 yard wide road; they
are both circle-and-octagon geometries, the only two known. The
latter High Bank has a circle similar in size to the Newark
circle, while the High Bank octagonal structure is obviously
smaller and shaped differently, more like a ceremonial turtle
shell.
Was the Great Hopewell Road laid out at the same time as these
geo- metric structures? Or was it built by later generations
visualizing an eruditely structured world through geometry and
astronomy?
Astronomical Consideration
 hilosopher Robert Horn and astronomer Ray
Hively, both of Earlham College (Indiana), took a serious look
at the two earthworks in the early 1980s. Intrigued by findings
at Great Britain's celestially aligned megaliths, they tested
for similar orientations among America's prehistoric monuments.
They subsequently found more than a dozen Ohio alignments seam-
lessly fitting into the structural geometries. Occasionally,
align- ments followed the raised banks themselves, or were were
match- ups between an angle and an open- ing in the earthwork,
or some com- bination of either. Horn and Hively observed that,
considering the infinite possibilities of available shapes, the
circle and octagon seemed the most effective and |
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| The projected Great Hopewell
Road extends from present-day Newark to Chillicothe. Along the
way are relatively short segments discovered by Brad Lepper,
main spokesman for the project. While the hypothetically extended
road does not directly align the Newark earthworks with the High
Bank, an apparently special connection exists between the two.
Map©, generated by Newark resident, Patricia Mason. |
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efficient for demonstrating the crucial alignments of the
sun and moon. The circle-octagon's computer-like design must
have been the result of a tremendous amount of information gathered
over a very long period. How long, no one knows, but their ancient
astronomers were also superb mathematicians.
Dr. Lepper writes, "An observer standing within the avenue
of parallel walls at the entrance to the (Newark) octagon and
sighting along the octagon's south-southeastern wall is looking
at the point on the horizon where the moon rises at its southernmost
extent. The walls of the octagon are like huge gun barrels aimed
at astronomical targets."
The ancient architects apparently had a complete or rounded knowledge
of cyclical astronomy, as the exquisite 18.6 year lunar cycle
is expertly represented in an almost faultless perfection. Lepper
notes that the earthworks are so massive in size that the great
observatory was virtually vandal-proof, should the place
have been left unattended, which, of course, it has
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been for uncounted centuries.
The Myth of Grandmother Spider
 mong North America's pre-Columbian peoples,
the Algonquin told of Grandmother Spider (or Spider Woman), a
broadly celebrated divinity that always brought great wisdom
to the world. She was close to Grandmother Earth, and possibly
represented an oracle. Her myth is widespread, and the eastern
tribes, in spite of their being pushed farther and farther west,
maintained her stories.
She was supposed to live in the grass, just as the Newark earthwork
was set in an ancient prairie. She helped the people to "see"
the lights of night and day, and guided them up from the Underworld.
One of her first stories tells of the animals who complained
about living in darkness, desiring the light. The Sun was then
somewhere on the surface
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Hopewell Highway...
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