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I am reminded of Spinal Tap guitarist Nigel Tufnel’s remarks during the break of their heavy-metal anthem “Stonehenge”: “No one knows who they were … or what they were doing …” Which isn’t quite true, of course: the ‘henge has long been considered a site of both astronomical and ritual importance to the Bronze Agers who visited it. The strange and impressive Serpent Mounds of Ohio, however, are another story altogether.
Mound-building native Americans were active in many parts of what is now the U.S., but usually their earthen structures were just that: hill-like mounds, often used as burial sites. Not so the Serpent Mound. While there are a number of animal-shaped effigy mounds, as they’re known, in the upper Midwest, the Serpent is by far the world’s largest: it measures about 1,370 feet in length and between one and three feet high. Its beautiful and precise shape are also a marvel (drawing inevitable comparisons to Peru’s Nazca Lines and other such ancient super-structures), often attributed to the Adena culture (800 BC – 100 AD).
But what’s it for? No burial sites were found within the mound, and while it does seem to have some astronomical significance — the oval-to-head area of the serpent is aligned to the Summer Solstice sunset and the snake’s coils align with the Winter Solstice sunrise — but considering the extraordinarily elaborate nature of its design, experts believe that its usefulness as an enormous calendar was merely secondary. Also adding to the mystery is the serpent’s open jaws, which surround a 120-foot hollow oval feature, thought variously to be an egg, the sun, the body of a frog, or merely the remnant of a platform serving to support something. So what does it all mean? Your guess is as good as ours!
Comments (11)
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Why do we try and cram as many people as possible into a telephone booth?
posted by Abby on 3-29-2007 at 3:02 pm
just wnting to know what city in OHIO is this serpent mound close to..you’d think they’d mention it to get folks ta see it
posted by Don on 3-29-2007 at 7:05 pm
just another reason why i love being from Ohio!
posted by christi on 3-29-2007 at 8:55 pm
the first thing that comes to mind when I read the part about the oval-shaped mound at the mouth of the snake is that a lot of cultures have creationn myths that involve gods and goddesses or even the earth itself to have hatched from a primordial egg, and snakes are widely believed to be a symbol of wisdom, so it could be a really really big ancient story or something.
posted by heather on 3-30-2007 at 1:45 am
Chtisty- Me too!
posted by Julianna on 3-30-2007 at 5:54 am
Really, REALLY big.
posted by Pointy-Hatted Geek on 3-30-2007 at 1:23 pm
The obvious explanation is aliens, duh. I just got back from visiting another site that our extraterrestrial friends marked (I saw them yesterday afternoon!)- the Nazca Lines. The flight company was playing a video about the lines and presenting the hypothesis for the lines and they showed this snake thing in Ohio too. I think the aliens are trying to get in touch with me- I mean I don’t think these two sightings are just coincidences!
posted by Isaias Torres on 4-1-2007 at 7:04 pm
Everyone, be sure and attend the summer solstice gathering 2007 at the mound!
posted by adam on 4-3-2007 at 10:08 am
Is it just me or is it really just a huge phallic symbol?
posted by Claire on 4-4-2007 at 5:36 am
Serpent Mound is in Adams county and the nearest big city is Cincinnati. Most elementary schools in Cincinnati send a field trip out there every year in the spring. Lots of fun. We were not taught that it was anything “mysterious” though so that was interesting to read. Thanks for the post and the Ohio shout out!
posted by molly on 3-13-2008 at 9:10 am
It’s in Adams County, OH, I believe it’s Locust Grove. We used to go there on field trips in elementary school.
posted by Summer on 3-13-2008 at 10:26 am