Serpent Mound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Serpent Mound is a 1,330 feet long and three feet high effigy mound located on a plateau in the Brush Creek Valley of Adams County, Ohio. It is the largest effigy in the United States. The mound is located in a unique cryptoexplosion structure that contains faulted and folded bedrock, which is usually either produced by a meteorite or volcanic explosion. This cryptoexplosion structure has caused Serpent Mound to become misshapened over the years.
Contents |
Origin of the Serpent Mound
The date and creators of the Serpent mound is still debated among archaeologists. Several legitimate attributions have been made concerning both of these questionable factors: The Adena culture and the Fort Ancient culture. Both of these sub-cultures belonged to the broader Hopewell culture, a term used to encompass all of the pre-Columbian Native American groups that resided in Southern Ohio. All of these civilizations had similar characteristics, including burial mounds, such as the Serpent Mound.
The Adena culture
Main article: Adena culture
Historically, the mound has been attributed to the Adena Indians (800 BC-AD 100). Many nearby mounds can be assuredly contributed to the Adena culture. The Adena are also renowned for their elaborate earthworks.
However, recent carbon dating studies place the serpent mound outside of the span of the Adenas. There are also no cultural artifacts present within the mound, a trait of most other Adena mounds. This could possibly be because the mound is not of Adena origin, or that it held a special significance above other burial mounds.
The Fort Ancient culture
Main article: Fort Ancient culture
Two pieces of wood charcoal were found in the undisturbed portion of the serpent mound. When carbon dating experiments were undertaken on these artifacts, they both yielded a date of ca. AD 1070. This date places the Serpent Mound within the realm of the Fort Ancient Indians, a Mississippian culture.
The Fort Ancient Indians could very well have been the erectors of the Serpent Mound. A significant symbol in the Mississippian culture is the rattlesnake, which would explain the design of the mound.
However, this mound, if built by the Fort Ancient Indians, is uncharacteristic for that group. They also buried many artifacts in their mounds, something of which the Serpent Mound is devoid. Also, the Fort Ancient Indians did not usually bury their dead in the manner which the remains have been found at the effigy.
Purpose of the Serpent Mound
The Serpent mound is most evidently a burial mound. However, the mound has some significant features which qualify it for a more important significance than just a burial mound.
Astronomical Significance
The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the snake’s coils align with the winter solstice sunrise and the equinox sunrise. It is thought that perhaps the mound was created as a response to astrological occurrences. The carbon dating attribution of 1070 coincides with two significant astronomic events: The appearance of Halley's Comet in 1066 and the light from the supernova that created Crab Nebula in 1054. This light was visible for two weeks after it first reached earth, even during the day. There is speculation that the serpent mound was to emulate a comet, slithering across the night sky like a snake.
Placement
The serpent mound sits on a very unusual place. It rests on a plateau, which conceals a unique crypto-volcanic geological feature. This is one of the only places in North America where such an occurrence is seen. Though the meaning is grounds for debate, the mound's placement on such an area is almost undoubtedly not by coincidence.
Recent History of the Serpent Mound
Modern Discovery of the Serpent Mound
The Serpent Mound was first discovered by two Chillecothe men, Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis. During a routine surveying expedition, Squier and Davis discovered the unusual mound in 1846. They took particularly careful note of the area. When they published their book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, in 1848, they included a detailed description and a map of the serpent mound.
Preservation of the Serpent Mound
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley fascinated many across the country. One man who it particularly intrigued was Frederick Ward Putnam of the Peabody Museum of Harvard University. Putnam was fascinated with the mounds, specifically the Serpent Mound. When he visited the mounds in 1885, Putnam found that they were gradually being destroyed by plowing. Putnam raised funds, and in 1886 purchased the land in the name of the university to be used as a public park.
Excavation of the Serpent Mound
After raising sufficient funds, Putnam returned to the site in 1886. He worked for three 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. In 1900, Harvard University turned over the Serpent Mound to the Ohio Historical Society to operate as a public park.
The Ohio Historical Society
The Ohio Historical Society in 1901 hired an engineer called Clinton Cowan to survey their newly acquired lands. Cowan returned to them a 56 by 72 inch map that depicted the outline of the Serpent Mound in relation to nearby landmarks, such as rivers.
Cowan also took specific geographical surveys of the area, discovering the unique crypto-volcanic structure the mound sits on top of. He also found that the mound is at the convergence of three distinctly different soil types. Cowan's information, in conjunction with Putnam's archaeological discoveries, have been the basis for all modern investigations of the Serpent Mound.
In 1967, the Ohio Historical Society opened the Serpent Mound Museum, in close proximity to the mound. In addition to the museum, a pathway was constructed around the base of the mound, which is still in existence today.
The museum features various exhibits, including various interpretations of the effigy's form, the processes of constructing the mound, the geographical history of the area, and an exhibit on the Adena people, historically credited as the creators of the mound. The museum shop offers publications on archaeology and American Indians, as well as souvenirs and refreshments.
