Description: Serpent Mound is a spectacular effigy earthwork of a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop in northern Adams County, Ohio. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Excavations between 1887 and 1889 by Frederic Putnam, of Harvard University's Peabody Museum, revealed the structure of the earthwork, but Putnam did not find any artifacts that revealed the age or cultural affiliation of the mound. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet Putnam also discovered traces of a village of the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) near the Serpent. Excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A.D. Serpents are a common feature in the art of the Late Prehistoric Period (900 A.D. to 1650 A.D.). Many American Indians of the Eastern Woodlands believed the Great Serpent was a powerful spirit of the Underworld, and it is believed that Serpent Mound may be a representation of these beliefs. The head of Serpent Mound is aligned with the setting sun on the summer solstice and the coils may be aligned to the summer and winter solstice and equinox sunrises. These alignments support the idea that Serpent Mound had a ceremonial purpose for its creators. Frederic Putnam saved Serpent Mound from destruction. On his urging, funds were raised for Harvard University to purchase the site. Later, the ownership was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society. Serpent Mound is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Serpent Mound State Memorial is located 20 miles south of Bainbridge in Adams County. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC804_SerpentMound_01
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650)
Places: Adams County (Ohio);
 

Description: Serpent Mound is a spectacular effigy earthwork of a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop in northern Adams County, Ohio. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Excavations between 1887 and 1889 by Frederic Putnam, of Harvard University's Peabody Museum, revealed the structure of the earthwork, but Putnam did not find any artifacts that revealed the age or cultural affiliation of the mound. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet Putnam also discovered traces of a village of the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) near the Serpent. Excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC804_SerpentMound_02
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650)
Places: Adams County (Ohio);
 

Description: Lithograph showing the group of prehistoric earthworks in Marietta, Ohio, after a painting by Charles Sullivan. This lithograph dates to 1848, and was published in Squier and Davis's "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05765
Subjects: Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Earthworks (Archaeology); Earthworks (Art)--United States; Marietta (Ohio)
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio)
 

Description: William J. Baer's portrayal of Serpent Mound from the northwest, converted into an engraving for Century Magazine. Known as Great Serpent Mound, it is nearly a quarter mile long with an average height of 4-5 feet and a width of 20-25 feet. This large serpent effigy sits atop a plateau overlooking the Brush Creek Valley. The mound is thought to date to the Fort Ancient culture (AD 1000-1550). William Jacob Baer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 29, 1860. Baer was well known for his miniature paintings which helped revive the art of miniature painting in America. He died in East Orange, New Jersey in 1941. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02912
Subjects: Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Baer, William J. (William Jacob), 1860-1941
Places: Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: Scene depicting an Early Woodland/Adena (2800-2000 B.P.) gathering at a ceremonial earthwork in the Hocking River Valley. The Adena people of this period constructed circular earthen enclosures which were used as sites for ceremonies and social events. A hunter can be seen holding spears and an atlatl as he oversees the ceremony taking place, with Adena men and women performing a ritual using wolf skins. In the distance can be seen the encampment which would be constructed for use during ceremonial periods until participants returned to their home settlements in the region. The large enclosure seen here is modeled on similar earthworks along the Hocking River in Athens County, Ohio. This painting comes from the "Ancient Ohio" art series, a series of six artworks showing the major archaeological periods from Ohio history. Each painting in the series is based on extensive research and consultation with experts and American Indian scholars. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05217
Subjects: Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; American Indian history and society; Earthworks (Art)--United States
Places: Hocking River Valley; Ohio