Shaped by the Land: Ohio’s Geology, Archaeology, and People – 14,000 BCE to Present

One of the most common questions heard by public archaeologists and docents at Ohio’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is simple: “Why here?” Often dismissed as a “fly-over state,” Ohio is anything but unremarkable. Its landscape and history are deep, complex, and shaped by thousands of years of human connection to place. In this presentation, Sarah Hinkelman, Ohio archaeologist and Site Superintendent of the Newark Earthworks and Flint Ridge, explores “Why Ohio?” by examining how geology and landscape influenced human life—and how people, in turn, shaped the land. From foothills to floodplains, flint outcrops to prairies, rivers to lakes, Ohio has been an extraordinary place to live for over 14,000 years.

The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:00 with the program to follow at 6:30 p.m. For more information, email achs@ashlandhistory.org or call 419-289-3111.

Presenter Bio:

Sarah Hinkelman is an Ohio public archaeologist from Northeastern, Ohio. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in Classics and World Religions and a master’s degree in Anthropology from Ohio State, focusing on Midwestern Precontact archaeology. Her research and fieldwork have centered on Indigenous Late Precontact sites in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana. For the past eight years, she has worked to interpret and preserve the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks—first as a park guide at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and currently as Site Superintendent of the Newark Earthworks and Flint Ridge for the Ohio History Connection.