His Book Review: Mysteries of the Hopewell by William Romain (2000)

Why he read this book: Picked up on summer trip in Ohio

Would he recommend this book: Yes, if interested in topic

His review: On a car trip in 2014, I traveled to several ancient mound sites in Ohio. I knew little about these, but found it fascinating how this thousand-year-old sites could still exist. I was interested in the cultures that build them, so at one of the sites I picked up this book. It helps give some context to these mounds, and provides an argument as to their purpose. Much of book covers the mathematical arguments to the mounds, and I admittedly skimmed these sections. I recognize that any speculation about these mounds is indeed speculation, and was more interested in the ideas than the proofs. I shared Romain’s fascination with the history of these mounds, as well as his pain when seeing them plowed over for apartments. Texts like these remind me of how much we don’t know about human history. We will never fully know why the Serpent Mound was created, but to know that it had intentionality gives those piles of dirt meaning.