Architectural historian John Hancock made a name for himself producing computer re-creations of ancient ruins in the Mediterranean before discovering some of the most interesting sites were in his own back yard.

It was news to Hancock, a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati, that Ohio's ancient Indian earthworks have mesmerized archaeologists since they were discovered 200 years ago.

"People don't realize we're sitting on top of ancient cultures," Hancock said. "Europeans contact me, and they know more about it than we do."

Hancock decided to capture some of the sites with the computer-visualization techniques he used to re-create Greek and other Old World ruins.

After five years, his team has created a series of computer visualizations of Ohio sites that astound archaeologists.

"It is amazing," said Jennifer Pederson, a National Park Service archaeologist who works at Mound City's Hopewell Culture National Historical Park near Chillicothe.

She said she never before was able to see how portions of the mound related to each other.

Hancock has made two lengthy computer re-creations as part of his EarthWorks project. One explores the mounds at the park's visitor center.

A second project exploring mounds built in the Miami River Valley north of Cincinnati will be unveiled Saturday. It will be permanently displayed at Cincinnati's Union Terminal.

The Ohio Valley was the heartland of flourishing civilizations long before European settlers arrived in North America. Known to archaeologists as the Adena, Hopewell and Fort Ancient cultures, these early Americans left one of the world's largest concentrations of mounds, effigies, astronomical observatories and ceremonial enclosures.

Though it is believed people lived in the Ohio Valley as far back as 13,000 years ago, the Hopewell, who migrated into Ohio about 100 B.C., are the best-known Mound Builders.

The culture is named for the Ross County farm where Hopewell remains were first discovered. The Newark Earthworks, an extensive Hopewell site in Licking County now partially occupied by a country club, is considered one of the wonders of the ancient world.

"These people were good architects and astronomers, better than their successors," said Roger Kennedy, author and former National Park Service director, who was an adviser on the project.

But the Hopewell didn't get their due from European settlers. Most of the estimated 10,000 Indian mounds in the state have been either destroyed by development or plowed and planted until they can barely be distinguished from the surrounding terrain.

Three vital ingredients hooked Hancock to create EarthWorks.

"I discovered there was a topic here in Ohio, there were people willing to help and it was fundable."

The $1.5 million project has been fueled by a series of federal, state and private grants.

Hancock used sophisticated computer software to blend art, animation, archaeological and historical research, photographs and maps to create 3-D images of a dozen mound complexes.

He said old maps prepared by naturalists and scientists, especially those made by Chillicothe natives Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis, were key to the project.

The re-creations show, often from aerial perspectives, what the works probably looked like.

"It just takes your breath away," said Ohio Historical Society archaeologist Bradley Lepper, who helped on the project. "I found when I looked at them I was getting insights that were new to me. The scale is overwhelming."

Some sites have what Hancock calls "story scenes" that depict physical layouts, artifacts and cultural history.

At Fort Ancient, a hilltop complex in Warren County, there are 22 visual re-creations.

The programs are narrated and interactive. Users can select portions of a site for more information, including views from inside structures, close-ups, information about how flint was used and burials were performed, and interviews with scholars and Native Americans.

Portions of EarthWorks will be seen on public television as part of a planned Ohio archaeology series, according to Tom Law, who is developing the series.

"Our biggest mission is to increase public awareness of these ancient societies," said Law, who produced a documentary on the Great Hopewell Road, which linked Newark and Chillicothe.

Hancock plans to produce a DVD containing all the computer re-creations.

Kennedy said, "This is about history and archaeology and tradition, it's not about gee-whiz games. It's about redemption."

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