Two thousand years ago, a people we now call the Hopewell built a precise geometry in the fields of Licking County, Ohio, and this is where the best of it survives. The Octagon Earthworks sits on the edge of Newark, close to Heath, a neat eight-sided enclosure with walls about a metre high, opening onto a perfect circle some three hundred metres across. No one knows what the Hopewell called it, but they certainly knew what they were doing. The alignments of the walls track the extreme points of the moon's rising over an 18.6-year cycle, and the whole thing was surveyed to a remarkable accuracy, without metal tools or writing.
The site has a quirk that surprises visitors. Part of it was used as a golf course for more than a century, with fairways and bunkers laid over the ancient banks, and the country club still holds a lease. Public access is limited to set days and hours, so check before arriving. A viewing mound and a short path give a good sense of the scale. It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, together with other Hopewell sites in southern Ohio.
The ride in is a gentle country run. The roads east of Columbus pass through farm fields, woodlots and quiet small towns, with a flat to rolling surface and little traffic away from the main routes. The rolling hills near Granville, a college town with a leafy main street, are pretty in autumn. The Licking River winds around the area, and in spring the fields are bright green.
Newark has about forty-eight thousand people and Heath ten thousand, so fuel and food are right at hand. Granville, a short distance away, has older inns and a couple of bakeries that suit a slow afternoon. Mosquitoes can be fierce near the water in summer. Take your time at the site, because the peace is the point, and let the strangeness of the place settle in.