Adena People
The Adena people developed from the Archaic culture of the Ohio valley around 1000 B.C. They were named after an estate in Ohio where a major mound was excavated near Chillicothe, Ohio. The Adena people built cone shaped mounds over their dead. Thousands of these mounds have been located in the Ohio River Valley. Some are as large as 50_60 feet high. They were farmers and hunters and lived in round, log and bark homes that housed as many as 40 people.

Archaeologist
A scientist who studies people, customs, and life of ancient times (long ago).

Artifact
An artifact is something made by people long ago. Excavations of mounds in Ohio have produced various artifacts such as: tools, pottery, jewelry, weapons, and vessels.

Awl
A pointed tool for making holes, as in wood or leather.

Axe
Broad-bladed chopping tool.

Ceremonial Center
A place where rituals or ceremonies are performed.

Ear Spool
An ornament worn in the ear lobe of ancient peoples.

Effigy
Something made to look like a living creature such as mounds and pipes.

Effigy pipe
A pipe made to resemble a living creature.

Excavation
Excavation is the act of discovering and uncovering something by digging it up.

Extinct
No longer in existence.

Flint
Flint is known as "Ohio's Gemstone.," Flint is a quartz that was used by prehistoric and Indians living in Ohio. Colors ranged from red to blue to gray to black. It was used to make various tools such as arrowheads.

Ft. Ancient People
The Ft. Ancient people were part of a larger cultural group called the Mississippians. They moved into Ohio in the late 12th century. They were hunters, fisherman, farmers and made pottery. Ft. Ancient people were the first to use the bow and arrow. They moved out of Ohio by the middle 1600's.

Hopewell People
The Hopewell people settled in Ohio along the river valleys around 200B.C. and stayed until roughly 600A.D. Their name came from the far in of Captain M.C. Hopewell near Chillicothe. They were a sedentary group of hunters, gatherers, and fisherman. They worked together to build ceremonial mounds made mostly in geometric shapes of circles, triangles and squares. They had an extensive trade network from the Midwest to the eastern U.S. seacoast. The largest Hopewell mound is located at Fort Ancient in Warren county, Ohio and measures 3 files long.

Ice Age
A point in Ohio's history when almost all of Ohio except the South-eastern portion was covered by glaciers thousands or even millions of years ago.

Knife
Knives made by prehistoric peoples and mound builders were made from bone, reed, stone, wood, antler shell, metal or beaver, bear or other animal teeth. They were used in craft work and as a weapon.

Lean-to
Small structure or shelter built with one end open. It usually has sides in the shape of a triangle.

Mica
Mica is a mineral that can be divided into thin layers allowing light through. It was used by Mound builders to make various artifacts.

Mound Builders
Mound builders, also known as prehistoric Indians, were people who built elaborate earthen structures. These structures are located throughout the southern half of the state of Ohio. Two of the most well known of these mound builder groups are the Adena people and the Hopewell people. In Ohio, Mound builders were primarily hunters and fisherman, but some also farmed the land as well. Ohio has more than 10,000 mounds, the most famous being the Serpent Mound.

Mound City Group
Mound city is found in Chillicothe, Ohio. It is a 240 acre park. Mound city is a burial site of the Hopewell people with 23 burial mounds and 2 Hopewell earthen enclosures.

Needle
Needles used during the time of the Mound builders were made from bone, wood, cactus spines and locust trees. They were used to make clothing and materials for housing and cooking. Thread used included horsehair, human hair and plant fibers.

Paleo People
The Paleo people were the lst humans in North America. Artifacts show that they lived in Ohio 10,000 or more years ago. They were mostly nomadic hunters, following animals used as food. Paleo people traveled in groups of 40-50 and lived off of mastodon, giant beaver, mammoths and giant elk.

Platform Pipe
A pipe with artistic carvings.

Pottery
Dishes, pots, mugs made of baked clay.

Serpent Mound
The Serpent Mound is the largest effigy mound in the United States. It is over 1/4 of a mile long, 20 feet wide and averages 5 feet in height. The best view of this mound is from above. It is thought to be a burial mound, but no bones have been excavated from this site. The mound is said to belong to the Adena people because of other Adena mounds located nearby. It is designed to look like a snake. First laid out in stone, then clay, and earth placed on top. The mound is now a state park

Settlers
Individuals who take up residence in a particular location.

Shaman
Often called a medicine man, a shaman was one of the most respected and important leaders in a tribe. The shaman was a religious leader and healer of the sick. He often had dreams and visions that allowed him to see into the future and enabled him to give advice to his tribe.

Shell
Hard outer covering.

Spear Point
Spear points were often in the shape of leaves with pointed tips and rounded bases. They were used for cutting an scraping. Flint was often used as the tip.

Stone
A hard mineral substance.

Village
Small town or hamlet.