Serpent Mound

Serpent mound, stretching a quarter mile long, is the largest serpent effigy (representation of an image) known to this day. There are also serpent effigies located in Scotland and Ontario that are very similar. The bottom of the mound is constructed of clay and rock and the soil covering the rock is four to five feet high. The mound was built on top of a remarkably unique cryptoexplosive structure that has caused the effigy to become misshapen through the years. The structure of the serpent is controversial. Squier and Davis were among the first to survey the mound. According to them the shape looked like a serpent with it's mouth open, about to devour an egg. Others have said that it represented the myth of the horned serpent in many Indian cultures. The ancestors of the Indians who lived around Lake Superior said that they took copper out of the horns of the serpent (Greenman, 1970).

Serpent Mound is located in Ohio, east of Cincinnati, off of highway 73. It is placed atop a ridge that over looks the Ohio Brush Creek. It is located in the Serpent Mound State Memorial and is accessible to the public.

It is believed that the area around Serpent Mound was inhabited between 3000 BP and 1300 BP.

Researchers have found some similarities between the previous Adena Indian habitats and Serpent Mound. Another indication that the Adena Indians built serpent mound was the Adena burial mounds that were located near Serpent Mound. The Adena Indians are famous for their earthwork (mounds). They lived throughout Ohio and parts of Kentucky and West Virginia. They were primarily hunters and gatherers, but evidence has shown some horticulture as well. They made ornaments from copper, tubular pipes and stone tablets (Woodward & McDonald, 1986) Serpent images, carved on stone tablets, have been found in the burial mounds of the Adena Indians (Webb & Snow, 1974).

The function of Serpent Mound is mysterious. It was thought,at one time, that it was sent from God and the head of the serpent was facing the Garden of Eden. It is probably a religious symbol. The serpent has been a symbol of many things, such as eternity, incarnation of a deity, and evil (Greenman, 1970). The Adena could have built Serpent Mound for their god or to ward off evil.

Excavations of Serpent Mound have found pottery fragments, ashes, burnt stone, and some animal bones (Greenman, 1970). This is evidence of occupation by the Adena Indians.

Fredric Putman was one of the first archaeologists to excavate Serpent Mound. After displaying his findings at the Chicago World Fair in 1893, the site became well known. Putman was concerned about the destruction of Serpent Mound. He became part owner of the Historical Society of Ohio. He helped preserve Serpent Mound so it can now be viewed by anyone. From the top of the Serpent Tower in Ohio, the whole serpent effigy can be seen (Woodward & McDonald, 1986).

Greenman, Emerson F. Serpent Mound. The Ohio Historical Society, 1970 Webb, William and Charles Snow. The Adena People. The University of Woodward, Susan and Jerry McDonald. Indian Mounds of the Middle Ohio Valley. The McDolnald & Woodward Publishing Company, 1986.