 Aerial illustration of the Portsmouth Earthworks Groups A, B, C, and D | |
 Interactive map of Portsmouth Earthworks | |
| Location | Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Region | Southern Ohio and Northeastern Kentucky |
| History | |
| Founded | 100 BCE |
| Abandoned | 500 CE |
| Cultures | Adena culture,Hopewell culture |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Earthworks,enclosure,causeway,causewayed ring ditch |
| Architectural details | Number of monuments: |
Horseshoe Mound | |
| Location | Scioto County, Ohio |
| Nearest city | Portsmouth, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 38°44′35.70″N82°58′38.39″W / 38.7432500°N 82.9773306°W /38.7432500; -82.9773306 |
| Built | 499-0 BCE, 499-0 CE, 1000-500 CE |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001621 |
| Added to NRHP | 1974[1] |
Portsmouth Earthworks, Group A | |
| Location | Greenup County, Kentucky |
| Nearest city | South Portsmouth |
| Coordinates | 38°43′17.76″N83°1′22.98″W / 38.7216000°N 83.0230500°W /38.7216000; -83.0230500 |
| Built | 499-0 BCE, 499-0 CE, 1000-500 CE, 1499-1000 CE, 1749-1500 CE, 1750-1799 CE |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001534[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 4, 1980 |
ThePortsmouth Earthworks are a large prehistoricmound complex constructed by theNative AmericanAdena andOhio Hopewell cultures of eastern North America (100 BCE to 500 CE).[2] The site was one of the largestearthwork ceremonial centers constructed by the Hopewell and is located at theconfluence of theScioto andOhio Rivers, in present-dayOhio.
The majority of the mound complex site is now covered by the city ofPortsmouth inScioto County, Ohio.[2] Several individual sections of the complex have been included on theNational Register of Historic Places.
Originally, the Portsmouth Earthworks consisted of three sections extending over twenty miles of the Ohio River valley, crossing from Ohio toKentucky in several places. It was surveyed and mapped byE. G. Squier in 1847 for inclusion in the seminal archaeological and anthrolopological workAncient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley.[3]
The northernmost section was made up of a number of circular enclosures, two large horseshoe-shaped enclosures, and three sets of parallel-walled roads leading away in different directions. One set of walled roads extends across the Ohio River intoSouth Portsmouth, Kentucky to the southwest toPortsmouth Earthworks, Group A. Another set of walled roads lead to the southeast where it also crossed the Ohio River and lead toPortsmouth Earthworks, Group C.[3] The third set of walled roads lead to the northwest for an undetermined distance, and may point toTremper Mound and Works, some 5 miles away. The City of Portsmouth maintains a public park which includes one of the remaining horseshoe-shaped enclosures, known as Mound Park, it is the only publicly accessible part of the complex.[2] Under the nameHorseshoe Mound it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[2]
In 2019 two independent scholars proposed that the Group B mounds represent part of an eight-mile-long femaleeffigy mound, which the authors propose depicts "The Woman Who Fell from the Sky," aNative American myth about human origins found among the indigenous peoples of North America.[4] If true, this would make it the longest effigy mound known, although much of the structure was destroyed by the city of Portsmouth.[5] The authors link the mounds to the story of He-nau-ee, as told by theMeskwaki Indians, possible descendants of the Hopewell mound builders. Other archeologists have cast doubt on the theory.[6]
Also known as theOld Fort Earthworks (15Gp1) it is a series of rectangular enclosures nearSouth Portsmouth inGreenup County, Kentucky. Group A is a large square enclosure with two series of parallel walls extending from the northeast and southwest corners. The Old Fort Earthworks consist of several sites, including the Old Fort Earthworks (15Gp1),Mays Mound (15Gp16),Hicks Mound (15Gp265),Stephenson Mound (15Lw139), and several other unnamed mounds and enclosures. It is also the location ofLower Shawneetown, aprotohistoric/historicFort Ancient andShawnee settlement and colonial trading post which are all part of theLower Shawneetown Archeological District,[7] along with theThompson andHansen sites
Group C was a large series of concentric circles surrounding a high central conical mound. This section of the earthworks is located inGreenup County, Kentucky several miles to the east ofSouth Shore, but connected to Group B by a causeway that ran down to the Ohio River.
Located to the west or downriver of Group C is theBiggs site (15Gp8) or Portsmouth Earthworks Group D. Biggs was anAdena culturecircular causewayed embankment 5 feet (1.5 m) high by 30 feet (9.1 m) wide encircling a ditch 6 feet (1.8 m) deep and 25 feet (7.6 m) across. They encompassed an area 90 feet (27 m) in diameter. In the center of the ditch was a conical tumulus 8 feet (2.4 m) high and 40 feet (12 m) in diameter. It was not only mapped by Squier and Davis, they also included a small illustration of the feature.[8]
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