Explore UNESCO World Heritage newest sites & stories

Apr 18, 2024

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Brad Lepper

Senior Archaeologist, World Heritage Program, Ohio History Connection

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks successful Ohio precocious were inscribed connected nan UNESCO World Heritage List. The tract encompasses 8 monumental earthworks that were built 2,000 years agone by Indigenous Native Americans known arsenic nan Hopewell Culture.

The tract involves immense earthen squares, circles and octagons that are geometrically precise and align perfectly pinch nan cycles of nan sun and moon. They are among nan finest examples of earthen architecture successful nan world, and portion of nan value of nan Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks arises from nan truth that their architects did not unrecorded successful cities and were not subjects of authoritarian rulers. Nonetheless, they cooperated to build earthworks of tremendous standard and geometrical precision, and nan tract includes artifacts crafted from worldly not typically recovered successful Ohio — for illustration obsidian from nan Rocky Mountains and seashells from nan Gulf of Mexico.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are a unsocial and historical marvel, and for World Heritage Day we induce you to study much astir it and different stories featured beneath of nan 2023 World Heritage additions and more UNESCO World Heritage sites connected Google Arts & Culture.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are a bid of 8 monumental earthen enclosures built successful confederate Ohio by Indigenous American Indians 2,000 years ago. Together these 8 chopped earthworks, dispersed on nan main southward flowing tributaries of nan Ohio River, stock a geometrical precision and alignments to nan cycles of nan sun and satellite that bespeak an unparalleled accomplishment of quality imaginative genius.

Talayotic Menorca encompasses nan main prehistoric archaeological sites of Menorca, on pinch nan landscapes that situation them. Located successful nan occidental Mediterranean, this Spanish land has an area of only 700km2, nevertheless much than 1,500 prehistoric sites tin beryllium recovered here.

Modernist Kaunas is situated successful cardinal Lithuania, astatine nan confluence of 2 awesome rivers. The spot consists of 2 areas – Naujamiestis and Žaliakalnis – some of which person respective unique components successful position of humanities significance, architecture, and municipality planning.

Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial to nan Missing, Passendale is nan Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s largest cemetery, pinch almost 12,000 tombstones. The memorial forms nan north-eastern bound of nan cemetery and bears nan names of almost 35,000 soldiers from nan United Kingdom and New Zealand whose graves are not known.

The 5 ring-shaped fortresses correspond outstanding examples and technological mastery of subject architecture. They were strategically positioned adjacent important onshore and oversea routes, and utilized nan earthy features of nan surrounding scenery for protect purposes.

Located successful nan bosom of nan Old Town of Erfurt, successful nan central-German authorities of Thuringia, the Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt comprises 3 monuments: nan Old Synagogue, nan Mikveh and nan Stone House. It is an early and uncommon grounds to Jewish belief and secular architecture from nan Middle Ages successful Central Europe.