Ohio's World-Class Prehistoric Sites

[joebanks]

Ohio earthworks are nominated for inclusion on UNESCO World Heritage List.

"...Ohio's American Indian earthworks are every bit as worthy of the world's respect as Egypt's pyramids, England's Stonehenge, or China's Great Wall."

"here in the seductive Ohio Valley are perhaps the greatest art monuments in the world."

http://ohio-archaeology.blogspot.com/2010/01/from-ohio-histore-news-january-2010.html


aint that what i've have been saying!?


"Their scale is imposing by any standard: the Great Pyramid of Cheops would have fit inside the Wright Earthworks; four structures the size of the Colosseum of Rome would fit in the Octagon.."

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5243/

Comments

[rafqa.livejournal.com]

four structures the size of the Colosseum of Rome would fit in the Octagon

Still, there aren't actually any structures now, are there?

[joebanks.livejournal.com]

Structures in the sense of something made of wood or stone? No, i don't know that there ever was.

[rafqa.livejournal.com]

I just think if they're going to be world monuments, it should stand on some merit beyond the fact that other world monuments can fit inside them. What exactly makes them "every bit as worthy?"

[joebanks.livejournal.com]

What makes the pyramids worthy of anything to all but enslaving (or maybe including) enslaving your populace to build a monument to one man's ego?

All the article and i are pointing out is that these structures desrve as much attention as any other. They are monumental in size and show as clear an understanding of astronomy as other ancient civilizations. Maybe more remarkable, there is no obvious signs of a - how do i put it? a "kingship" or brick and mortar type civilization, these almost seem to spring from the earth.

[rafqa.livejournal.com]

In the first place, every two-bit caveman worth his salt has something aligned with the summer solstice. I would be very surprised if the astronomical research on this site was conclusive-- although it may in fact be correct-- lacking any other kind of corroborating evidence.

I don't think it pays to go head to head with the Pyramids. The Pyramids have been knocking people's socks off since 3000 B.C., which is pretty much why they fit almost every criterion on the World Heritage site qualification list. Let me be clear-- I totally think these sites should be on the list, if for no other reason than that they represent the still-hidden and even suppressed story of pre-Columbian North America. They are remarkable sites IN THEIR OWN RIGHT although we know so little about them, and they represent something that deserves far more attention. I just don't think comparing them with the Pyramids or the Coliseum does them a service-- those sites are totally different entities in a totally different cultural continuum. All I basically meant was, "it's bigger" is not a particularly compelling argument, in my book.

And as far as arguments go, the argument from silence is always on thin ice. We don't know enough about these cultures to draw any serious conclusions about their degree of oppressiveness-- the absence of evidence doesn't say much. Monumental architecture almost always implies some kind of central authority, and often-- though not always-- some degree of coercion. There is no evidence, BTW, that the Pyramids were built by slave labor; in recent years, quite the contrary, I believe.

And as far as creepy oppressive cultures, it looks to me like the Cahokia culture, whose mounds are already on the list, is near the head of the pack.

[joebanks.livejournal.com]

Duping your populace to believe you are a god and "telling" them to go build a pyramid while you frolic is pretty close to slavery, in my book. Yes these are completely different context. But i'm pointing out how little recognition they have gotten so far, one of the sites has a golf course in the middle of it "What do you think lovey, should i use the putter?" Another site in the same town isn't even recognized, yet it has a 100 foot long effigy mound, surrounded by McMansions, with no public access. The lack of history, indicates the lack in "sophistication" of the society that built these, there was no written word, no bureaucracy to support the creation, oppressive or not.

[rafqa.livejournal.com]

I think we actually agree.

And i was going to bring up The Ten Commandments, but I stopped myself.

I was under the impression that the sites were already protected on the state and national level-- in fact, I thought it was a requirement. I totally hope they make it onto the world list, but if they need protection, the state and feds should get going NOW.

You can have incredibly oppressive centralized governments, unfortunately, with little or no writing-- Aztecs and Incas, for a start. Plus, you don't need a world empire to be a murderous fiend.

[rafqa.livejournal.com]

P.S. we all know building a house on an Indian burial mound brings its own punishment.

[joebanks.livejournal.com]

Amen to that.

[kabuldur.livejournal.com]

Anyone would think they had some sort of aerial view when they made them.

I think they are just as important.

[sahlah.livejournal.com]

Good luck! They deserve the protection.