Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is pleased to host the summer archeological lecture series, Robert L. Harness Lecture Series.

Mann and the Hopewell Interaction Sphere: A Gateway Between East & West

Presented by Cailey Mullins. For the first five centuries of the Common Era, an intricate network of closely related cultural expressions known as the Hopewell phenomenon, stretched across the eastern half of the North American continent. The Hopewell were master artisans with an arsenal of exotic goods, creating intricate cutouts of copper and mica and grandiose blades with obsidian. Clearly, some form of widespread interaction was taking place at the core of this Hopewellian phenomenon. In order to fully understand the socio-religious implications of these exotic materials, it is necessary to analyze this so-called Interaction Sphere. This paper will take an in-depth look at the Hopewell Interaction Sphere and its mechanisms, particularly in the realm of obsidian exchange. Specifically, it will explore the Mann SIte’s (12Po2) role in the Hopewellian obsidian exchange network, understanding Mann as a “Gateway center” between Eastern and Western spheres of Hopewellian interaction.