Revealing the Cosmic Genius of Ohio's Indigenous Earthworks
James W. Graham The inspiring story of how two intrepid college professors revealed the lunar alignments and ancient engineering genius behind the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks. How did people two millennia ago achieve the stunning architectural and scientific accomplishment that in 2023 became Ohio's only UNESCO World Heritage Site? In Where the Moon Stands Still, James W. Graham recounts the inspiring true story of two small-town college professors who, without funds or training in archaeology, helped unlock secrets behind an ancient monumental work of land art—the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks—all but hidden in plain sight on a local golf course. Ever since the arrival of Europeans, thousands of Native earthworks east of the Mississippi were neglected, vandalized, bulldozed, and plundered. Their origins and purposes baffled scholars. How did ancient people build monuments of such grand scale and geometric sophistication? Why? Crucial answers emerged in the 1980s when philosopher Bob Horn and astronomer Ray Hively, driven by curiosity and a tireless devotion to truth-seeking, made a decades-long effort to conquer the skepticism of experts and unmask the astronomical genius behind the Indigenous earthworks. As he recounts Hively and Horn’s investigation, James W. Graham refutes exploitative mythical interpretations and explains the history around these earthworks and of US treatment of its Indigenous people, including the long quest for tribes to regain authority over stories, ancestors, and places. Where the Moon Stands Still signals a global reawakening to the greatness of Indigenous achievement in America's heartland. The Ohio State University Press 280 pp. 7x10 29 black and white illustrations 4 maps EXPECTED Pub Date: September 2026 Imprint: Trillium The Ohio State University Press Preorder Paperback $22.95 $18.36 and free shipping 978-0-8142-5991-7 |
Advance Reviews
“In telling the story of a visionary philosopher’s and a skeptical scientist’s shared journey of intellectual inquiry, James Graham gives us a fascinating window into the process of deciphering the complex work of a 2000-year-old society that integrated solar-lunar astronomy and large-scale geometry with a vast landscape. Where the Moon Stands Still invites those of us in the modern and non-Indigenous world to enter the multidimensional creativity and astute science of a remarkable people.” --Anna Sofaer, archaeoastronomy researcher and PBS documentary filmmaker “Brilliant! In this page-turning mystery, James Graham reveals the genius of ancient Indigenous astronomers in the Newark Earthworks that has always been there--at night we see the same celestial moon that they saw.” --Donald L. Fixico (Shawnee, Sac & Fox, Muscogee and Seminole), author of The State of Sequoyah: Indigenous Sovereignty and the Quest for an Indian State "In this excellent book, Jim Graham tells the very human story of how Ohio’s Native American earthwork builders’ unparalleled astronomical genius was rediscovered. Deftly weaving engaging accounts of the ancient builders and the perspectives of their contemporary descendants, this book will do much to enhance public appreciation of these astonishing yet enigmatic monuments.” -- John E. Hancock, author of Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks and Traveler's Guide to Ancient Ohio. Also by James W. Graham
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