Overview
In The Hopewell: Traders of Ancient North America, Elliot Rowan uncovers the story of one of the continent's most remarkable prehistoric societies. Flourishing between approximately 200 BC and AD 500, the Hopewell built monumental earthworks, established far reaching exchange networks, and created a ceremonial culture that connected communities across much of eastern North America. From the great geometric enclosures of Ohio to the waterways of the Mississippi Valley, they shaped a civilization whose influence endured long after its ceremonial centers fell silent. Drawing on archaeological discoveries from sites including Newark Earthworks, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Mound City, and the Turner Group, Rowan reconstructs a society known not through written records but through its monumental landscapes, finely crafted artifacts, and richly furnished burial mounds. Copper from the Great Lakes, obsidian from Yellowstone, mica from the Appalachian Mountains, and marine shell from the Gulf Coast reveal an extraordinary network of exchange that united distant peoples through ritual, craftsmanship, and shared traditions. Rowan explores the rise of Hopewell ceremonial centers, the meaning of their earthworks and burial practices, the sophisticated knowledge reflected in their geometry and astronomy, and the gradual transformation of the vast interaction sphere that once linked communities across a continent. Throughout, the Hopewell emerge not as an isolated culture, but as the architects of one of ancient North America's greatest achievements. More than the story of a lost civilization, this book reveals how the Hopewell reshaped the cultural landscape of prehistoric North America, leaving behind enduring monuments that continue to inspire wonder and deepen our understanding of the continent's ancient past.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9798190672558
- ISBN-10: 9798190672558
- Publisher: Independently Published
- Publish Date: August 2026
- Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.38 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.47 pounds
- Page Count: 180
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