Hopewell

Member of a prehistoric American Indian people of the Ohio River Valley and central USA who flourished between 200 BC and AD 500. One of the Moundbuilder cultures, they built cone‐shaped burial mounds up to 12 m/40 ft high. The Hopewell were farmers and skilled artisans, known for their silver and copper metalwork, distinctive pottery incised with naturalistic motifs, and exquisite stone ceremonial pipes carved into animal shapes. Artefacts found on Hopewell land, such as alligator teeth from Florida, suggest that they were great traders. The reason for their extinction is unknown, although disease, famine, and war have been suggested.

The Hopewell grew maize (corn), beans, and squash (pumpkin), and supplemented their diet with local fish and game. Like the Adena, another moundbuilding people of the Ohio Valley, they constructed elaborate earth mounds to bury and honour dead leaders and other important people. Stone pipes, jewellery, and other ceremonial objects were buried in the mounds as a tribute. The mounds also served as bases for temples, and some may have had other religious functions. Many of the mounds were extensive, with loops, twists, and turns forming intricate geometric patterns or animal shapes.