Fort Ancient Culture (Ohio)

The Fort Ancient Culture, flourishing between roughly 1000 and 1750 CE in what is now Ohio, was a Native American society known for building large, complex earthwork mounds and villages. They practiced agriculture, growing crops like maize, beans, and squash, and engaged in hunting and gathering. Their settlements often featured fortified villages, indicating organized social and defensive practices. The culture’s descendants are believed to have included the Shawnee and other Southeastern tribes. While they are distinct from neighboring mound-building cultures like the Adena and Hopewell, Fort Ancient people contributed significantly to the region’s prehistoric history through their advanced earthworks and social organization.