Serpent Mound

“EarthWorks“, a travelling exhibit that opened on June 20th at the Cincinnati Museum Center, Ohio, is a multimedia spectacle with an amazing centerpiece consisting of an immersing 3D journey through reconstructions of Native American “mound builder” villages and earthworks.

Technology of “EarthWorks” ExhibitFort Ancient Reconstruction
Beginning in the late 1990’s, John Hancock, University of Cincinnati professor of architecture and team member in the Center for the Electronic Reconstruction of Historical and Archaeological Sites (CERHAS) at the university, began to build interactive user environments set within reconstructed heritage sites. Simulations such as this, although popular at the time, were too large and unstructured, lacking feedback for the user and usually had over complex controls.

Noting the lack of usability, Dr. Hancock and the CERHAS team developed and new form of interaction consisting of an exploratory virtual reality framework, mixed multi-media presentations, and defined documentary narratives. Together, the mixture of media and documentation within an exploratory context create a “choseTurner Earthworks your own adventure” like experience where you learn and interact along a virtual path. The narrative and media experience has such a great depth that it is highlyT unlikely that a user could duplicate their previous path.

The end result of this “EarthWorks“ project is a 500 square foot traveling exhibit focused on the virtual reconstructions, but also including a very large map of the Ohio Valley area, a cross-cultural comparative time line, 3-D models of a series of earth works, and additional photos and narratives.
links to archaeology

A bit about the ancient Ohio Valley earth works

From around 600 BC to 1200 AD, the areas around Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia were home to populations of Native Americans that archaeologists refer to as Adena, Hopewell, and Fort Ancient. These groups, beginning with the Adena, built increasingly complexity earth mounds that began as circles and cones, evolved to complex geometric shapes, and ended with great animal effigies. The arrangement of geometric shapes and animal effigies, some reaching 15 feet high and thousands of feet in length, constitute some of the earliest ancient observatories in the world.

Serpent MoundAlthough many have been lost to time, some earth works have remained intact. One of the most striking examples in Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio. This mound is a 1,300 foot long, three feet high effigy of a snake. Another extant mound structure is the great Fort Ancient hill top enclosure in Fort Ancient, Ohio. Enclosing 100 acres, the hill top earthworks is formed by a 3 mile long wall enclosure that is as high as 23 feet in some sections. Both examples are central to the EarthWorks exhibit.

The fact that Dr. Hancock, who taught ancient architecture for 15 years, was unaware of the massive 2000 year old earthworks practically under his feet, underscores the point that most people do not know that natives of North America created large earthworks. Although the construction technology of these celestial observatories and religious sites is primitive, as compared to the Inca and Egyptians, the cultural structure and depth of knowledge that is needed to create them is just as advanced.

An EarthWorks project and resources CD Avaliable from CERHAS for $25.
The EarthWorks tour schedule includes the following date:

  • Cincinnati Museum Center, with opening on June 20, 2006
  • Ohio Historical Center, Columbus, where the exhibit will open Sept. 30, 2006
  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 2007
  • The Field Museum, Chicago, (as part of a permanent exhibit) in spring 2007
  • Sunwatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park, Dayton, Ohio, set to open May 26, 2007

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