What (And Why) Is Serpent Mound (Ohio)

AZCentral.com ^ | 12-2-2003 | Dan Kincaid

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QUESTION: What is Ohio's Serpent Mound?

ANSWER: The Serpent Mound, or Great Serpent Mound, is an ancient Native American earthwork in Adams County in southeastern Ohio that is said to be the largest prehistoric effigy of a snake in the United States.

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I've read about the Adena Culture, they are frequently associated with 'giant' skeletons found in that area.

I've never heard of the 'Fort Ancient' culture. I will look around and post something on the 'Fort Ancient' people.

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Fort Ancient People

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Ohio's Earliest People

[KarlInOhio]

[Hodar]

Thanks for the picture.... the article doesn't do the picture justice.... it's beautiful!

[Dixielander]

Ping

[Ff--150]

been waiting for you to post about the giants. There are also structures in easter Oklahoma that are equally fascinating (brain-lock at this moment on what).

[Mercat]

Been there. It's very impressive. Beautiful country. I recommend at visit to the area.

[hellinahandcart]

I remember this place! We took a field trip there in elementary school.

I seem to remember a controversy several years ago, as to whether it was authentic or a hoax...

[ngc6656]

From the article:

Interestingly, the mound is believed by some geologists to lie within a greatly eroded prehistoric meteor crater. The crater, if that is what it is, was formed as long ago as 320 million years, ages before humans appeared, and the Indians' erection of the mound in it must have been purely coincidental. Or was it?

It should be interesting to see if there is any indication of a meteor impact on contour maps of that area. Don't have time to check now, will bookmark this thread and return later with the results of a search.

Also interesting is that in a broad time frame centered on the age of the crater quoted in the article, there was a meteor impact near the junction of the KY, TN and VA state lines. The town of Middlesboro, KY, sits in an ancient meteor crater, complete with an eroded "central peak" that is obvious on contour maps.

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I'm curious to know why the archaeology news of the day, 12-2-2003, is relegated to 'chat' while tabloid ( Sex On The Kitchen Table) news is allowed to stay in the news section?

People are interested in medical, science and archaeology news of the day too.

[okie01]

From a recent visit, I recall that there is also a significant (and very puzzling) magnetic anomaly in the area of Serpent Mound.

This may have to do with the ancient meteor crater.

[RightWhale]

whether it was authentic or a hoax

Did the Indians 1000 years ago pile dirt just to hoax somebody?

[hellinahandcart]

Not the Indians, silly.

When we took that elementary school field trip, we were all told it was a prehistoric site. It was advertised as such.

Just about every kid in Ohio was dragged off to Serpent Mound at some point, so I'm sure they all felt gypped when it turned out to be only a thousand years old.

[RightWhale]

True, there are some on this thread who consider 1000 years ago current events. If it is a hoax, I would vote for Vikings.

[Grammy]

I also took field trips there as a child. In that area of Ohio there are a whole bunch of mounds built by the indians. Most are burial mounds, and those that have been excavated have revealed a lot of really neat artifacts. As I recall there is a really neat museum at Serpent Mound.

[hellinahandcart]

I remember they had a mummy there. Not from the mound, from Egypt. Unless I'm remembering a different little museum.

It was half-unwrapped, that was the neat thing.

[Grammy]

"From a recent visit, I recall that there is also a significant (and very puzzling) magnetic anomaly in the area of Serpent Mound. This may have to do with the ancient meteor crater."

I don't know about that area, but I do know that there is a really weird magnetic anomaly around Ada Ohio. Mr Grammy went to school there. He said not only is north off but gravity is low, AM radio signals are weak and streams flow away from there, even though it is not high. He said all this is in about a 20 mile circle.

[Grammy]

I don't recall the mummy, but I went there about 40 years ago, so that doesn't mean much 8-)
I do remember all the neat carvings and pipes they had, and all the mica artifacts.

[general_re]

In that area of Ohio there are a whole bunch of mounds built by the indians.

They're scattered all over the Midwest, really. When I was a kid, we used to go see the same kinds of burial mounds at Pikes Peak and Effigy Mounds in Iowa.