Ohio Hopewell Archaeoastronomy: A Meeting of Earth, Mind, and Sky

Within archaeoastronomy, phenomenological approaches including landscape archaeology, actualization studies, use of geographic information systems (GIS), and operational sequence analysis inform our understanding of prehistoric practices. Monumental earthworks in Ohio (USA) dating to 2000 BP-the Hopewell geometric enclosures are examined by these means. The matrix of landscape viewshed and celestial dome shape human production of local cosmogonies, becoming encoded across the terrain by indexical sightlines and functional and ritual architectures. The resultant array of calendrical alignments defines a suite of horizon foresights on the surrounding skyline, whose premised archaeological presence/absence provides a hypothetico-deductive test in a field of study where such evidence is often lacking. While accurate calendrical sightlines were likely used for subsistence and other scheduling, a spectrum of sensory stimuli would accompany observations and associated ritual performances. Light, color, and temperature the compelling sensory phenomena experienced during the sunrises and sunsets indexed at these earthworks augment the in situ observations at the sightlines: for the prehistoric Hopewell calendrical specialists, for a present-day field researcher, or for the interested public at future interpretive events.