Earth ovens are a ubiquitous feature of eastern North America, used throughout many cultures and periods, leaving a highly visible signature of habitational life. This study focusses on one of the four uniquely outsized earth ovens from the center of a woodhenge at Hopewell Mound Group, the type site of the Hopewell culture. Cleaned of artifacts and fire-cracked rock, this feature required specialized analysis to shed light on its function: macrobotanical methods of seed identification and wood charcoal analysis along with phytolith and soil micromorphological analysis. These analyses create a holistic picture of the earth oven, the woodhenge, and the nature of feasting and ritual at Hopewell Mound Group, along with a snapshot of the paleoenvironment. Results show ritual use of ash wood (Fraxinus sp.), Eastern Agricultural Complex seeds seasonally timed with a summer solstice ritual, and grass leaf phytoliths deposited deeper than the surrounding natural strata. Feasting at this site seems to be focused on feeding large numbers of people, as opposed to a small set of competitive elites.

土炉是北美东部的一个普遍特征，在许多文化和时期中都有使用，留下了高度可见的居住生活特征。这项研究的重点是霍普韦尔土丘群（霍普韦尔文化的典型遗址）木阵中心的四个独特的超大土炉之一。清除了人工制品和烧裂的岩石后，这一特征需要专门的分析来阐明其功能：种子识别的宏观植物学方法和木炭分析以及植硅体和土壤微形态分析。这些分析描绘了合和土丘群的土炉、木阵、宴会和仪式的本质以及古环境的快照。结果显示，仪式上使用了白蜡木（Fraxinus sp.），东部农业综合体种子与夏至仪式季节性同步，草叶植硅体沉积得比周围的自然地层更深。这个地方的盛宴似乎专注于为大量的人提供食物，而不是一小群有竞争力的精英。