Social Studies Chapter 3

“Early People of Ohio”

Chapter 3 Vocabulary

• Artifact – an object made by people who lived in the past, often found and studied by an archaeologist.

• Archaeologist – a scientist who studies the way people lived in the past, including prehistoric times.

• History – the written story of the past• Prehistory – the time before written history• Beringia – a land bridge believed to have

connected Asia with North America for about 2,000 years during the Ice Age.

Chapter 3 Vocabulary Continued

• Culture – the way of life shared by a group of people, including language, beliefs, music, foods, and holidays.

• Barter – to trade things for other things without using money.

• Trading Post – a store in an unsettled area where trading and bartering are done.

• Council – a group of people who meet to talk and make decisions.

• Lick – a natural salt deposit.

First Americans

• The first people in North America were probably hunters who followed animals from Asia.

• They crossed a land bridge that connected Asia to North America (Alaska) during the last Ice Age. The land bridge was called Beringia.

• The land bridge disappeared when the glaciers melted and water covered it back up

Beringia

The First Ohioans

• The first people in Ohio were Hunter-Gatherers – They were called that because they were constantly

on the move hunting animals and gathering food– They lived in bands of 25-50 people and slept in

caves or under cliffs– They did not have permanent settlements – They made tools from resources in their environment

like bone, wood, antlers, stone, animal skins, and plant fibers.

– They used flint to make their arrowheads.

Native American Tools

• Stone hide scrapers

• Stone axe

Arrowheads

After the Ice Age

• Many large animals such as giant sloth, mastodons, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers died out.

• Hunters had to catch smaller animals such as rabbits, deer, bear, squirrels, and wild turkeys.

• Since they didn’t have to travel as far to find the smaller animals the Native Americans began to settle into villages and not move as much.

• Since the smaller animals didn’t feed as many gathering foods from plants like berries, nuts, and roots became more important.

• Villages also became larger. Instead of 25-50 people they now had 100-150 people.

• The Native Americans also started to trade for things.

The Mound BuildersAdena Culture

• The Adena were the first culture to build mounds in Ohio. They were here about 3,000 years ago.

• They lived in the same place for a long time– This allowed them to make bigger and heavier tools

• They were Ohio’s first farmers. They grew pumpkins, squash, and sunflowers.

• Since they farmed they didn’t have to look for as much food so they started to do other things like make pottery, baskets, jewelry and carved pipes.

• Disappeared about 2,000 years ago, but we are not sure why.

Adena Mounds

• The Adena built thousands of hill shaped mounds in Ohio.

• They carried dirt in baskets and in the pockets of their aprons.

• The Adena buried their dead in the mounds and held religious ceremonies there. – The Adena buried jewelry, carved pipes, and

other special items with their dead.

Miamisburg Mound

• 68 feet high• 852 feet in

circumference (around)

• The largest Adena Mound in Ohio.

• Located in Miamisburg, Ohio which is near Dayton

Grave Creek Mound

• 69 feet high • Over 900 feet in

circumference (around)

• Was built in three stages over a period of 100 years

• Located in Moundsville, West Virginia

The Mound BuildersHopewell Culture

• Arrived in Ohio about 100 years before the Adena culture disappeared.

• Settled in the Scioto River Valley. A few moved to the valleys of the Muskingum and Miami Rivers.

• Traveled great distances to trade and barter. Scientists have found grizzly bear claws and obsidian from the Rocky Mountains in their mounds. They have found mica from North Carolina as well.

• They also farmed. They were the first people in Ohio to grow corn.

• Also made pottery, jewelry, and tools.• They became skilled metalworkers. • Died out about 1,400 years ago.

Hopewell Mounds

• Built mounds in shapes of giant circles, squares, and octagons.

• Builders usually came from several different villages. • Built several walled mounds on hilltops that looked like

forts. They were not used for defense, but the Hopewell did live nearby.

• Used their mounds to bury their leaders and other important people in. They were also used as calendars.

• Like the Adena, they placed special objects in their mounds with their dead.

Fort Ancient

• Largest hilltop enclosure in U.S.

• Walls are from 10-25 feet high

• Site covers 120 acres• Took 200 years to build• Sun shines through a slit

in the mound wall on the first day of summer every year

Hopewell Culture National Park

• Became a National Park in 1923.

• Contains 23 mounds• Enclosed by a

rectangular wall that is 3-4 feet high

• site consists of 5 different sets of mounds

The Mound Builders Fort Ancient Culture

• Arrived in Ohio about 400 years after the Hopewell people died out.

• Got their name because they built villages near the Hopewell site of Fort Ancient

• They were farmers just liked the Adena and Hopewell

• Had villages of up to 500 people• Probably the first people in Ohio to use a bow

and arrow.• They disappeared from Ohio about 350 years

ago.

Items Found in Mounds

Great Serpent Mound

• 1,330 feet long• Is an effigy mound

which means it is shaped like an animal

• The head of the snake is aligned with the first day of summer and the tail with the first day of winter