It is one of America’s most iconic and mysterious prehistoric earthen monuments, and at times, also one of its most hotly debated: Ohio’s famous Serpent Mound.
Located in Adams County, Ohio, the ancient site features a massive, undulating serpent whose coiled tail and gaping jaws have stood as an impressive monument to the Buckeye State’s ancient past, prompting serious investigations by archaeologists that have spanned nearly two centuries.
First documented in the landmark work Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley in 1848 by Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis, the famous site features many peculiarities, including the large oval-shaped feature positioned within the serpent’s open mouth. “This oval is formed by an embankment of earth, without a perceptible opening,” Squier and Davis wrote, noting that the feature “is perfectly regular in outline” and “slightly elevated” while also containing an area of “large stones, much burned once, [that] existed in its center.”
However, research involving the Serpent Mound also suggests that Ohio’s most famous animal effigy earthwork looks quite different today from how it once did—a curious fact that raises haunting questions about its original appearance, and what that may have meant to its mysterious ancient builders.
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