How old is the Great Serpent Mound?
The Great Serpent Mound. The Fort Ancient culture was significantly influenced by the Mississippians, and shared the rattlesnake as a common theme. However, later radiocarbon dating in 2011 places the age of the mound much earlier, being built around 300 BCE. This would put the mound’s construction at the height of the Adena culture.
Who built the mound at Fort Ancient?
Scholars have proposed the mound was built by several different cultures including the Adena, the Hopewell and the Fort Ancient cultures. 18th century missionary John Heckewelder reported the native people of Delaware told him the Allegheny people built the mound.
Who owns Serpents Mound?
Serpent Mound is listed as a "Great Wonder Of the Ancient World" by National Geographic Magazine. Originally purchased on behalf of the Trustees of the Peabody Museum, in 1900 the land and its ownership were granted to the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society (a predecessor of the present Ohio Historical Society ).
Did the ancient people of Fort Ancient repair or renovate Serpent Mound?
The research team believes that the Fort Ancient people likely modified and/or renovated it, pointing to the fact that other nearby monuments also show evidence of repair or modification by prehistoric groups. In addition to leading the first excavation efforts of Serpent Mound, Putnam also led efforts to restore and preserve the effigy.
Who created the Serpent Mound and why?
Serpent Mound is an internationally known National Historic Landmark built by the ancient American Indian cultures of Ohio. It is an effigy mound (a mound in the shape of an animal) representing a snake with a curled tail. Nearby are three burial mounds—two created by the Adena culture (800 B.C.–A.D.
Who built the Serpent Mound when did they build it?
An article published in July 2014, titled "New Radiocarbon Dates Suggest Serpent Mound is More Than 2,000 Years Old", provides evidence supporting the mound's creation by the Adena culture around 300 BC (2300 years ago).
Where was the Serpent Mound built?
Peebles, OhioDefinition. Serpent Mound (also known as Great Serpent Mound) is an archaeological and historic site in Peebles, Ohio, USA, enclosing an effigy mound 1348 feet (411 m) long in the shape of a serpent, the largest effigy mound of a serpent in the world, built between c. 800 BCE and c. 1070 CE.
What was found beneath the Great Serpent Mound?
In fact, the head of the creature approaches a steep, natural cliff above the creek. The unique geologic formations suggest that a meteor struck the site approximately 250-300 million years ago, causing folded bedrock underneath the mound.
What tribe built the Serpent Mound?
When it was first discovered by European explorers, the indigenous Adena people were cited as the builders. Carbon dating done in 1996 placed the age of the Serpent Mound at 1070 A.D., meaning it was most likely the work of the Fort Ancient people.
Can you visit the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio?
The Serpent continues to elicit humility, wonder, and awe – drawing tens of thousands of visitors a year from across the country and the world. The park is open daily from dawn to dusk with a $8.00 parking fee/vehicle and $4.00/Motorcycle.
Why is the Serpent Mound significant?
Serpent Mound may have had a spiritual purpose, given that the many native cultures in North and Central America revered snakes, attributing supernatural powers to the slithering reptiles.
How many Indian mounds are in Ohio?
The State of Ohio has more than 70 Indian mounds, burial sites of the Adena and Hopewell tribes--the "mound builders"--who inhabited central and southern Ohio from roughly 3,000 BCE until the 16th century. Many of these sites are open to the public, including the dramatic and fascinating Serpent Mound.
What is the purpose of the mound?
Rectangular, flat-topped mounds were primarily built as a platform for a building such as a temple or residence for a chief. Many later mounds were used to bury important people. Mounds are often believed to have been used to escape flooding.
Which ancient civilization is known for burying the dead in mounds?
The Old Norse people built barrows that sometimes reached enormous heights. In eastern North America, large burial mounds were characteristic of Indian cultures from 1000 bce to 700 ce.
Why do some scholars believe that the Great Serpent Mound marks the seasons?
Snakes, which were seen to have supernatural powers, were often incorporated into spiritual rituals. The astrological alignment of the serpent—the head aligns with the summer solstice sunset and the tail with the winter solstice sunrise—suggests that it was used to mark the seasons.
What are the serpent mounds in Ontario?
A burial site dating from 50 BCE to 300 CE, it is a grouping of six separate burial locations forming a serpentine shape that is approximately 60 metres long and almost 8 metres wide and 1.5 to 1.8 metres high. The site is presented to the public within the grounds of Serpent Mounds Park on the banks of Rice Lake.
Who created earth mounds in what is now the state of Ohio?
Between A.D. 1 and A.D. 500, the people of the Hopewell culture "built a large and elaborate complex of earthen mounds, walls, ditches, and ponds in the southern flowing drainages of the Ohio River valley," wrote Mark Lynott, the former manager and supervisory archaeologist at the Midwest Archaeological Center, in his ...
Who made effigy mounds?
People known as the Woodland Indians built the mounds. The Woodland Culture, which dates from 500 B.C. to about 1200 A.D., is broken down further into three different sub-cultures: the Early Woodland (also called the Red Ochre), the Hopewellian classified as Middle Woodland, and the Effigy or Late Woodland.
What is mound in history?
A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher elevation on any surface. Artificial mounds have been created for a variety of reasons throughout history, including habitation (see Tell and Terp), ceremonial (platform mound), burial (tumulus), and commemorative purposes (e.g. Kościuszko Mound).
Which ancient civilization is known for burying the dead in mounds?
The Old Norse people built barrows that sometimes reached enormous heights. In eastern North America, large burial mounds were characteristic of Indian cultures from 1000 bce to 700 ce.
Why Was Serpent Mound Built?
Because of the astronomical alignments at Serpent Mound, most experts believe it was constructed to record special calendar days and important lunar and solar days. The mound is not a burial mound, although there are some ancient graves in the area. Oddly, there is also no archaeological evidence that the site was used for large ceremonial gatherings. Instead, the site may have been a place for quiet, solitary observation and prayer.
Who Were the Adena People?
A native tribe of Pre-Columbian people, the Adena lived in what is now Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, and surrounding areas from about 1000 to 200 BC. The Adena people were known for creating elaborate earthworks, including sacred circles, as well as mounds. Even for accomplished earthworkers like the Adena, Serpent Mound is unique and represents a major accomplishment for this early culture. There is some archeological evidence suggesting that the Adena people, even if they were not the original builders, may have made repairs to the Serpent Mound at various points in history.
What does the serpent's head indicate?
Serpent Mound Still May Have Been Influenced by Astronomy. Researchers Clark and Marjorie Hardman suggested in 1987 that the head of the serpent and the egg align to the setting of the sun on the summer solstice. Adding to this, other researchers proposed that the coils of the serpent indicate both solstices and both equinoxes.
What do the coils on a serpent mean?
Adding to this, other researchers proposed that the coils of the serpent indicate both solstices and both equinoxes. Yet another expert, William F. Romain, believed that the seven coils or curves of the serpent’s body align with phases of the moon. If that is the case…that Serpent Mound combines both solar and lunar alignments…it is significant. ...
What is the effigy mound?
The plateau on which the effigy mound was built is an astrobleme, the impact crater of a long-ago meteorite crash. Researchers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland worked with geologists from the Ohio state government in 2003 to study ...
How many coils does a serpent have?
They noted that the head of the serpent rests on a cliff above a stream and that the body meanders back and forth for 800 feet, producing seven coils. The snake’s tail ends in a tight spiral. A strange feature of Serpent Mound is that it depicts the snake with an open mouth, preparing to eat a large egg. The egg and the serpent are clearly ...
How tall is the serpent mound?
Serpent Mound is Unlike any Other Effigy in North America. At a little more than a quarter of a mile long and between one and three feet tall, the Serpent Mound pales in comparison to the Great Pyramid or Stonehenge, but it is no less fascinating. When the effigy was first recorded by European explorers, Edwin Davis and Ephraim Squire, in 1848, ...
When was the Serpent Mound built?
Archaeologists are still debating the origin of Serpent Mound. The mound contains no artifacts and no burials that would help establish the age of the mound. The two leading theories are that the mound was built by either the Adena Culture (800 BC to 100 AD) around 320 BC, or the Fort Ancient Culture (1000 to 1750 AD) around 1070 AD.
How tall is the Great Serpent Mound?
The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-foot-long (411 m), three-foot-high prehistoric effigy mound on a plateau of the Serpent Mound crater along Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio. Maintained within a park by Ohio History Connection, it has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of Interior.
How long did Putnam work on the Serpent Mound?
He worked for four years excavating the contents and burial sequences of both the Serpent Mound and two nearby conical mounds. After his work was completed and his findings documented, Putnam worked on restoring the mounds to their original state.
Why was the serpent mound important?
Fletcher and Cameron argued convincingly for the Serpent Mound's coils being aligned to the two solstice and two equinox events each year. If the Serpent Mound was designed to sight both solar and lunar arrays, it would be significant as the consolidation of astronomical knowledge into a single symbol.
What is the significance of the Conical Mound?
One of the conical mounds that was excavated by Putnam (1890) yielded a principal burial which has grave goods that associate it with the Adena period (800 BC-100 BC). He also found and excavated nine intrusive burials in the mound. Additionally, Putnam discovered an ash bed north of the conical mound that contained many prehistoric artifacts. After the excavation, the conical mound was reconstructed and is today standing south of the parking lot at Serpent Mound State Memorial.
How many acres did Putnam purchase?
In 1886, with help from a group of wealthy women in Boston (such as the noted Glass Flowers ' patroness Mary Lee Ware ), Putnam raised funds to purchase 60 acres (240,000 m 2) at the Serpent Mound site for preservation. The purchase also contained three conical mounds, a village site and a burial place.
What is the alignment of the serpent mound?
In 1987, Clark and Marjorie Hardman published their finding that the oval-to-head area of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset. William F. Romain has suggested an array of lunar alignments based on the curves in the effigy's body. Fletcher and Cameron argued convincingly for the Serpent Mound's coils being aligned to the two solstice and two equinox events each year. If the Serpent Mound was designed to sight both solar and lunar arrays, it would be significant as the consolidation of astronomical knowledge into a single symbol. The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the coils also may point to the winter solstice sunrise and the equinox sunrise.
What is the Adena culture known for?
The primarily evidence for this discovery is that Adena-era burial mounds were found near the Serpent Mound. Moreover, the Adena Culture is known for constructing elaborate earthen mounds and medicine circles throughout what is now the state of Ohio.
How did the Serpent Mound form?
Experts disagree on what caused the crater, but Serpent Mound rests near the rim of a crater formed by either volcanic activity or the impact of a meteorite some 250 million years ago during the Permian Period. Interestingly, this was about the time a mass extinction destroyed some 70 per cent of all land animals on the planet! But it’s doubtful the crater motivated ancient Americans to build the mound since the outline of the crater is not easily seen.
How old is the Serpent Mound?
So, according to this investigation, the mound was apparently two to 3,000 years old. One problem with dating the mound is that no artifacts or burials have been found within Serpent Mound itself.
What is the plateau on which the mound rests?
The program also suggested that the plateau upon which the mound rests is composed of dolomite, a high grade of limestone that might act as a semiconductor of electricity. In times past could the mound have been used to attract lightning and thereby generate and perhaps store electrical power?
When was the snake mound built?
The results showed that the mound was built about 1070, some two thousand years later than earlier investigations. This evidence would seem to show that the mound was built by the Fort Ancient Culture (900-1600 C.E.), a Mississippian culture that flourished in the central Ohio Valley.
What elements were deposited in the meteorite?
Other elements such as iridium and uranium could have been deposited as well by the meteorite. One enthusiast on the program claimed this meteorite crashed to the earth about 300,000 years ago, a dating quite different than the aforementioned 250 million years!
What is Kelley's passion?
Archaeology is one of Kelley's great passions. He's read many books on the subject, as well as every issue of "Archaeology" since 1987.
Description
Civilizations of the Midwest
The Adena culture consists of the pre-contact American Indian culture that lived throughout the midwest in states such as Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and most predominantly Ohio. The majority of these civilizations inhabited the Scioto River and Hocking Valleys in southern Ohio, as well as the Kanawha Valley near Charleston, West Virginia. This period is often referred t…
Origin and chronology
In previous years, the civilization responsible for the creation of the Serpent Mound had been highly disputed amongst archaeologists, as can be seen in the material published in 2002. Its construction was often attributed to different civilizations. Very little additional evidence, such as artifacts and burials, can be found at the site of the mound, leaving it hard for archaeologists to trace its construction back to one civilization. Archaeologists generally acknowledged that the A…
Prehistory of Ohio
Several groups of Paleo-Indians (13000 B.C. to 7000 B.C.) occupied the land in Ohio prior to the Adena and Hopewell cultures. Evidence shows that numerous civilizations of Paleo-Indians occupied the land in Ohio, thriving through hunter-gatherer techniques, and ranged throughout the land. The Paleo-Indians hunted large game such as mastodon. Archaeologists have found remains of more 15…
Meaning of the mound
Having been built around 1070 A.D., many archaeologists believe that the mound's creation could have been influenced by two different astronomical events: the light from the supernova that created the Crab Nebula in the year 1054 A.D. and the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1066 A.D. The light of the supernova would have been visible for two weeks after it first reached earth, w…
Preservation
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley fascinated many across the country, including Frederic Ward Putnam of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. Putnam spent much of his career lecturing and publishing on the Ohio mounds, specifically the Serpent Mound. When he visited the Midwest in 1885, he found that plowing and development were dest…
See also
• Cahokia
• Crooks mound
• Glades culture
• Hopewell culture National Historical Park
• Indian Mounds Park (disambiguation)
Further reading
• Fletcher, Robert V., Terry L. Cameron, Bradley T. Lepper, Dee Anne Wymer, and William Pickard, "Serpent Mound: A Fort Ancient Icon?", Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Vol 21, No. 1, Spring 1996, University of Iowa.
• Putnam, Frederic Ward, "The Serpent Mound of Ohio: Site Excavation and Park Reconstruction.", Century Magazine Vol 39: 871–888. Illustrations by William Jacob Baer.