UNESCO just granted World Heritage Site protection to 42 new sites around the world, and the U.S. just earned one. With the addition of this latest site in Ohio, the U.S. is now home to 25 of the 1,199 Heritage Sites located in 168 countries.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are landmarks or areas granted legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. They are designated World Heritage Sites for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance.
The newest named sites include a Viking-age fortress in Denmark, sections of the Silk Road in China, an archaeological site in Turkey and many more, including a site right here in the U.S. UNESCO named Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio as a World Heritage Site based on its significance as the most representative surviving expressions of the Indigenous tradition now referred to as the Hopewell culture.
The eight huge earthen enclosure complexes along the central tributaries of the Ohio River were built between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago. They were used for ceremonial purposes, built precisely in alignment with the sun and moon. Beautiful ritual objects have been found on the site, with materials that indicate contact with people from as far away as Florida. Due to the complexity and representative nature of the site, UNESCO deemed the earthworks as "masterpieces of human creative genius," worthy of special protection.
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is located about an hour south of Columbus in Chillicothe, OH. Find out more about the site on the NPS website.