Verified39.0264° N · 83.4308° W · 232 m
Great Serpent Mound
Serpent Mound · Great Serpent Effigy
Disputed: either Adena 320 BCE–200 CE or Fort Ancient 1070–1200 CE (latest C14 favors Fort Ancient 1120 CE)·Adena culture or Fort Ancient culture·🇺🇸 Ohio, United States
About
About Great Serpent Mound
Quarter-mile (411 m) effigy mound in shape of serpent with oval head swallowing an egg, 3 ft high, coiled tail atop meteor-crater plateau above Ohio Brush Creek, largest surviving effigy mound in world.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Precise dating – two conflicting C14 clusters
- 02Astronomical purpose: solstice sunset alignment with coils
Theories
- 01Fort Ancient revitalization of Adena landscape; meteor impact crater chosen for sacred significance
- 02Serpent as Horned Serpent in Southeastern Ceremonial Complex cosmology
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1070 CE (OSU radiocarbon 2014) – alternative 300 BCE
- Period
- Disputed: either Adena 320 BCE–200 CE or Fort Ancient 1070–1200 CE (latest C14 favors Fort Ancient 1120 CE)
- Culture
- Adena culture or Fort Ancient culture
- Purpose
- Ceremonial effigy, astronomical marker aligned to solstices and Draco
- Excavation
- Excavated
c.1070 CE (OSU radiocarbon 2014) – alternative 300 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1133 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
39.0264° N · 83.4308° W · 232 m · 3 mapped features
- 39.0259° N · 83.4291° W
Serpent Head (oval egg enclosure)
effigy head - 39.0261° N · 83.4297° W
First Coil and Neck
effigy segment - 39.0272° N · 83.4315° W
Triple Coiled Tail
effigy tail
Gallery