Crescents

Crescents. . , Three interior-ditched crescents complete the perimeter of the Jurcion complex., JUNCTION'S THREE CRESCENTS suggest that whatever was being enclosed here also had an important relationship with the large, open area in the center of the complex. Like the other geometric enclosures, these crescents all had ditches constructed along their interiors, probably the source for much of the soil used to build the walls. At many other Hopewell sites, we know that these ditches were originally engineered to hold water. Adjoining the smaller crescent was the largest of the Junction Group's four mounds. , Earthworks in the Landscape. Mature hardwood forests covered most this region in antiquity To clear large areas for earthwork building, American Indians needed to cut, burn, and maintain vast openings in the forest. Like most Hopewell geometric earthworks, Junctions built on a level valley terrace, above the reach of flooding. , Ditches and Water. Many Hopewell earthworks were called "forts" by early explorers because they thought the walls were built for defense. Evidence now suggests that the interior ditches (on the wrong side to serve as a moat) were designed to fill with water and create reflecting pools, or the "spirit barriers of American Indian tradition.