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In every great society there is a burial ritual, or a “death culture”. Some cultures are simple and some are grand and elaborate. The Hopewell Indian culture of North America is no different, and their burial rituals involved the construction of large earthen mounds to contain the dead and their goods for the afterlife. The Hopewell are believed to have had an extensive trade network, resulting in many “exotic” goods in these burial mounds. There are several earthworks that stand out in Ohio, they include: Mound City (Hopewell Culture National Historic Park) in Chillicothe, Seip Mound Group in the Paint Creek Valley, and the Newark Works (Octagon State Memorial) in Licking County. These works vary in size and complexity, but vary slightly in age. Mound City and Newark date to around A.D. 1-50, while Seip dates to A.D. 100-200. The Hopewell burials are rich in ceremony and culture, features that have survived the test of time. Construction The construction of the mounds and earthworks is achieved through the usage of borrow pits, or a large pit that has had the earth removed, to construct the large mounds of dirt that cover the ceremonial buildings. Mound City is comprised of 15.6 acres surrounded by a 2,050 foo