EarthWorks: Virtual Explorations of the Ancient Ohio Valley
June 20 through September 24, 2006
Native American cultures that once flourished in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia constructed geometric and animal-shaped earth works that often rivaled Stonehenge in their astronomical accuracy. A few still exist—Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, for example—but most of the region's ancient architecture was all but squandered. Earthworks, from as early as 600 B.C.E. that stretched over miles and rose to heights of 15 feet or more, were either gouged out or plowed under in the 19th century or paved over for development in the 20th.
But now, this lost heritage from the Adena, Hopewell and Fort Ancient cultures is returning in the form of a new exhibit at Cincinnati Museum Center that includes virtual reconstructions of earthworks from 39 sites. The electronic recreations represent nearly 10 years of work by an extensive team of architects, archaeologists, historians, technical experts and Native Americans.
EarthWorks includes topographic models, virtual artifact kiosks and, at the heart of the exhibit, an interactive video navigation system developed by the Center for the Electronic Reconstruction of Historical and Archaeological Sites (CERHAS) at the University of Cincinnati. The video navigation system combines the best of three media formats: the exploratory nature of virtual reality, multimedia and narrative video. Visitors to the exhibit control the path through the segments with a touch screen.
EarthWorks is free for Cincinnati Museum Center members. Non-members are admitted free with the purchase of a Cincinnati History Museum ticket.
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