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'{{About|the site in the USA|the one in the UK|Skelmorlie}} {{Infobox NRHP | name =Great Serpent Mound | nrhp_type = nhl | image = The Great Serpent Mound.jpg | caption = The Great Serpent Mound - an ancient [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] effigy in Adams County, Ohio. | nearest_city= [[Peebles, Ohio]] | coordinates = {{coord|39|1|33.09|N|83|25|49.60|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = Ohio#USA | area = | architect= | architecture= | added = October 15, 1966 | governing_body = State | refnum=66000602<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref> }} The '''Great Serpent Mound''' is a {{convert|1348|ft|m|adj=on}}-long,<ref>Glotzhober and Lepper, ''Serpent Mound: Ohio's Enigmatic Effigy Mound'', Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio, 1994, p. 3</ref> three-foot-high prehistoric [[effigy mound]] on a plateau of the [[Serpent Mound crater]] along [[Ohio Brush Creek]] in [[Adams County, Ohio]]. Maintained within a park by the [[Ohio History Connection]], it has been designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] by the [[United States Department of Interior]]. The Serpent Mound of Ohio was first reported from surveys by Ephraim Squire and Edwin Davis in their historic volume ''Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley'', published in 1848 by the newly founded [[Smithsonian Museum]]. Researchers have attributed construction of the mound to three different prehistoric [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous]] cultures. Originally thought to be [[Adena culture|Adena]] in origin, a 1996 [[carbon dating]] study led scholars to believe the mound was built by members of the [[Fort Ancient culture]] around 1070 CE.<ref name="archaeology.org">[http://www.archaeology.org/9611/newsbriefs/serpentmound.html Jessica E. Saraceni, "Redating Serpent Mound"], ''Archaeology'', 49(6), Nov/Dec 1996, accessed 8 Dec 2008</ref> Most recent dating places the mound at around 300 BCE, once again suggesting Adena construction.<ref name=IC>[http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/08/07/rethinking-ohios-history-serpent-mound-older-some-its-dirt-156268 History Got it Wrong: Scientists Now Say Serpent Mound as Old as Aristotle, Indian Country]</ref> Serpent Mound is the largest serpent effigy in the world.<ref name=MNSU>[http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/northamerica/serpent.html "Serpent Mound", MNSU (dead link)]</ref> ==Description== [[File:Serpent Mound Plaque.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Ohio [[historical marker]]]] Including all three parts, the Serpent Mound extends about {{convert|1376|ft|m}}, and varies in height from less than a foot to more than three feet (30–100&nbsp;cm). Conforming to the curve of the land on which it rests, with its head approaching a cliff above a stream, the serpent winds back and forth for more than eight hundred feet and seven coils, and ends in a triple-coiled tail. The serpent head has an open mouth extending around the east end of a {{convert|120|ft|m|adj=on}}-long hollow oval feature that may represent the snake eating an egg,<ref>Landis, Don. "Monuments,Mounds,Pyramids..." The Genius of Ancient Man: Evolution's Nightmare. Green Forest, AR: Master, 2012. 67. Print.</ref> though some scholars posit that the oval feature symbolizes the sun, the body of a frog, or merely the remnant of a platform. The effigy's extreme western feature is a triangular mound approximately {{convert|31.6|ft|m}} at its base and long axis. There are serpent effigies in Scotland and Ontario that are very similar.<ref name=MNSU/> ==Origin== The dating of the design, the original construction, and the identity of the builders of the serpent effigy are three questions still debated in the disciplines of social science, including [[ethnology]], [[archaeology]], and [[anthropology]]. In addition, contemporary [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|American Indians]] have an interest in the site. Several attributions have been entered by academic, philosophic, and Native American concerns regarding all three of these unknown factors of when designed, when built, and by whom. Over the years, scholars have proposed that the mound was built by members of the [[Adena culture]], the [[Hopewell culture]], or the [[Fort Ancient culture]]. In the 18th century the missionary [[John Heckewelder]] reported that Native Americans of the [[Lenape|Lenni Lenape]] (later Delaware) nation told him the [[Allegheny people]] had built the mound, as they lived in the Ohio Valley in an ancient time. Both Lenape and [[Iroquois]] legends tell of the Allegheny or ''Allegewi'' People, sometimes called ''Tallegewi''. They were said to have lived in the Ohio Valley in a remotely ancient period, believed pre-Adena, i.e., [[Archaic period in the Americas|Archaic]] or pre-[[Woodland period]] (before 1200 BC). Because [[archaeological]] evidence suggests that ancient cultures were distinct and separate from more recent historic Native American cultures, academic accounts do not propose the Allegheny Nation built the Serpent Mound.<ref>Hamilton,Ross, ''The Mystery of the Serpent Mound'', 2001</ref> Recently the dating of the site has been brought into question. While it has long been thought to be an Adena site based on slim evidence, a couple of radiocarbon dates from a small excavation raise the possibility that the mound is no more than a thousand years old. Middle Ohio Valley people of the time were not known for building large earthworks, however; they did display a high regard for snakes as shown by the numerous copper serpentine pieces associated with them.<ref>Milner, George "The Moundbuilders Ancient Peoples of Easter North America", 2004</ref> [[Radiocarbon dating]] of charcoal discovered within the mound in the 1990s indicated that people worked on the mound circa 1070 AD.<ref name="archaeology.org"/> ===Adena culture=== {{Main article|Adena culture}} Historically, researchers first attributed the mound to the Adena culture (1000 BC - 1 AD). William Webb, noted Adena exponent, found evidence through carbon dating for [[Kentucky]] Adena as early as 1200 BC. As there are Adena graves near the Serpent Mound, scholars thought the same people constructed the mound. The skeletal remains of the Adena type uncovered in the 1880s at Serpent Mound indicate that these people were unique among the ancient Ohio Valley peoples. It was more than 45 years before scholars paid sufficient attention to the Adena studies. The Adena culture did build some nearby mounds, so for more than 125 years, many scholars thought they created the Serpent Mound as well. The Adena were renowned for their elaborate [[Earthworks (archaeology)|earthworks]] and their creation of "sacred circles" as part of their [[cosmology]]. An unrecorded number of their gravesites throughout the greater Ohio Valley were destroyed before any organized archeological supervision performed correct analysis of their contents. Carbon-dating studies published in 1996 of material from the mound appeared to place the Serpent Mound construction as later than the span of the Adena.<ref name="archaeology.org"/> This suggested that a people subsequent to the Adena may have built or refurbished the site for their own uses and purposes. Although a characteristic of excavation at most Adena mounds has been discovery of related artifacts, to date no cultural artifacts have been found within the Serpent Mound. This study and its inferences drew the attention of many experts and is further discussed below. ===Fort Ancient culture=== {{Main article|Fort Ancient}} [[File:SD35 Serpent Mound Squier and Davis Plate XXXV gray-levels-cropped.png|thumb|right|180px|Squier and Davis's map from ''[[Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley]]'', published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 1848]] Scholars previously thought that the Fort Ancient culture (1000-1650 AD), an Ohio Valley-based, mound-building society, constructed Serpent Mound about 1070 AD. The Fort Ancient culture was influenced by the contemporary [[Mississippian culture]] society based along the mid-[[Mississippi River]] valley with its North American center at [[Cahokia]] (in present-day [[Illinois]]). The Mississippian culture had regional [[chiefdom]]s as far south as present-day [[Louisiana]] and [[Mississippi]], as well as extending to western [[North Carolina]] and north to the [[Great Lakes]] area. Fort Ancient society, a Late Prehistoric (AD 900-1650) group, was named because they inhabited the ramparts of the large notched earthworks in [[Warren County, Ohio]], commonly called "Fort Ancient". The earthwork had been built, however, by the early [[Hopewell culture]] (200 BC-500 AD) at least 1,000 years prior to the arrival of the Fort Ancient culture. The Hopewell culture had abandoned the earthworks and disappeared long before the Fort Ancient peoples arose in the area. In 1996 the team of Robert V. Fletcher and Terry L. Cameron (under the supervision of the Ohio Historical Society's Bradley T. Lepper) reopened a trench created by [[Frederic Ward Putnam]] of [[Harvard]] over 100 years before. They found a few pieces of [[charcoal]] in what was believed to be an undisturbed portion of the Serpent Mound. However, [[bioturbation]], including burrowing animals, frost cracks, etc., can reverse the structural timeline of an earthen mound such as Serpent Mound. It can shift carbon left by a later culture on the surface to areas deep within the structure, making the earthwork appear younger. When the team conducted [[carbon dating]] studies on the charcoal pieces, two yielded a date of ca. 1070 AD, with the third piece dating to the [[Late Archaic]] period some two thousand years earlier, specifically 2920+/-65 years BP (before the present). The third date, ca. 2900 BP, was recovered from a core sample below cultural modification level. The first two dates place the Serpent Mound within the realm of the Fort Ancient culture. The third dates the mound back to very early Adena culture or before.<ref name="ReferenceA">"Serpent Mound: A Fort Ancient Icon?", ''Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology'', Vol. 21, No.1, University of Iowa, 1996</ref> The Fort Ancient people could have been the builders of the Serpent Mound. Alternatively, they may have refurbished the earthwork for their own use in the same way that people today fix up old houses to make them suitable for occupation again. The [[rattlesnake]] is significant as a [[Southeastern Ceremonial Complex#Great Serpent|symbol in the Mississippian culture]], which would help explain the image of the mound. But there is no sign or indication of a rattle.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> If this mound was built by the Fort Ancient people, it was uncharacteristic for that group. For example, the mound does not contain [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]], although, like the Adena people, the Fort Ancient culture typically buried many artifacts in its mounds. In another difference, the Fort Ancient people did not usually bury their dead in the manner of the burials found in proximity to the [[effigy]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> One of the only other [[effigy mound]]s in Ohio, the [[Alligator Effigy Mound]] in [[Granville, Ohio|Granville]], was carbon dated to the Fort Ancient period. ===Current theory=== The so-called "Fort Ancient Culture" has been disassociated from the Fort Ancient earthwork in Warren County, Ohio, and is not known to have built large earthworks. Indeed, it has been misnamed a ''culture'' and is now understood more as an interaction phenomenon involving multiple ethnolinguistic groups that came together in the Ohio Valley in the Late Woodland Period, between 500 AD and 1200 AD. ''Fort Ancient Culture'' is neither a fort, nor ancient, nor a culture.<ref name="IC"/> This causes the ''Fort Ancient'' designation to be problematic, because as an unreal entity, the so-called culture has no clear descendants. An eight-member team led by archaeologist [[William F Romain]] has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.<ref>[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440314002465 Science Direct abstract]</ref><ref>[http://ancientearthworksproject.org/1/post/2014/07/new-radiocarbon-dates-suggest-serpent-mound-is-more-than-2000-years-old.html Website summary]</ref> The team found much older charcoal samples in less-damaged sections of the mound. The investigators conjecture that the mound was originally built between 381 BC and 44 BC, with a mean date of 321 BC. They explain the more recent charcoal found in the 1990s as likely the result of a "repair" effort by Indians around 1070 AD, when the mound would already have been suffering from natural degradation.<ref name=IC/> ==Purpose== Adena Period graves at the site suggest the earthwork served a mortuary function, and that this was the principal nature of the site, directing spirits of the dead from burial mounds and subsurface graves northward, not a place to conduct large ceremonial gatherings as has been suggested by tourism/promotion interests.<ref name=IC/> ===Astronomical significance=== [[File:Chromesun serpent mound spiral01.jpg|thumb|The spiral tail at the end of the Serpent Mound]] In 1987 Clark and Marjorie Hardman published their finding that the oval-to-head area of the serpent is aligned to the summer [[solstice]] sunset.<ref>Clark and Marjorie Hardman, ''Ohio Archaeologist'' 37(3):34-40 (1987)</ref><ref>Glotzhober and Lepper, ''Serpent Mound: Ohio's Enigmatic Effigy Mound'', Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio, 1994 p. 11</ref> William F. Romain has suggested an array of lunar alignments based on the curves in the effigy's body. Fletcher and Cameron argued convincingly for the Serpent Mound's coils being aligned to the two solstice and two [[equinox]] events each year. If the Serpent Mound were designed to sight both solar and lunar arrays, it would be significant as the consolidation of [[astronomical]] knowledge into a single symbol. The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the coils also may point to the winter solstice sunrise and the equinox sunrise.<ref name=OHS/> If 1070 AD is accurate as the construction year, building the mound could theoretically have been influenced by two astronomical events: the light from the [[supernova]] that created the [[Crab Nebula]] in 1054, and the appearance of [[Halley's Comet]] in 1066.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Fletcher, Robert V.|author2=Terry L. Cameron|author3= Bradley T. Lepper|author4=Dee Anne Wymer|author5=William Pickard|title=Serpent Mound: A Fort Ancient Icon?|journal=Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology|volume=21|number=1|date=Spring 1996|publisher=University of Iowa}}</ref> The supernova light would have been visible for two weeks after it first reached earth, even during the day. The Halley's Comet's tail has always appeared as a long, straight line and does not resemble the curves of the Serpent Mound. Halley's comet appears every 76 years. Numerous other supernovas may have occurred over the centuries that span the possible construction dates of the effigy. [[File:Serpent Mound - The Century.gif|thumb|left|A depiction of the serpent mound that appeared in ''The Century'' periodical in April 1890, drawn by [[William Jacob Baer]].]] The Serpent Mound may have been designed in accord with the pattern of stars composing the constellation [[Draco (constellation)|Draco]]. The star pattern of the constellation Draco fits with fair precision to the Serpent Mound, with the ancient Pole Star, [[Thuban]] (α Draconis), at its geographical center within the first of seven coils from the head. The fact that the body of Serpent Mound follows the pattern of Draco may support various theses. Putnam's 1865 refurbishment of the earthwork could have been correctly accomplished in that a comparison of Romain's or Fletcher and Cameron's maps from the 1980s show how the margins of the Serpent align with great accuracy to a large portion of Draco. Some researchers date the earthwork to around 5,000 years ago, based on the position of Draco, through the backward motion of precessionary circle of the ecliptic when Thuban was the Pole Star. Alignment of the effigy to the Pole Star at that position also shows how true north may have been found. This was not known until 1987 because lodestone and modern compasses give incorrect readings at the site.<ref>Hamilton, Ross, ''The Mystery of the Serpent Mound,'' 2001</ref> ==Astrobleme== The mound is located on the site of a classic astrobleme, an ancient meteorite impact structure. One of the strongest clues to the impact origin of this structure is in the pattern of disruption of sedimentary strata. In the center of the structure, strata have been uplifted several hundred feet, in much the same way that the central uplifts of lunar craters such as Copernicus were formed. In 2003 geologists from Ohio State government and the [[University of Glasgow]] (Scotland) corroborated the meteorite impact origin of the structure at Serpent Mound. They had studied core samples collected at the site in the 1970s. Further analyses of the rock core samples indicated the impact occurred during the [[Permian|Permian Period]], about 248 to 286 million years ago; thus, all topographic expression of the impact would have been long since erased.<ref>[http://www.ohiodnr.com/news/dec03/1216meteorite/tabid/14348/Default.aspx "UNIQUE SOUTH-CENTRAL OHIO ROCK STRUCTURE IS PROBABLY THE RESULT OF ANCIENT METEORITE STRIKING THE EARTH"], Ohio Dept of Natural Resources, 12 Dec 2003, accessed 4 Dec 2008</ref> This is one of the few places in North America where an astrobleme has been identified. While some scholars speculate that prehistoric Native Americans may have placed the mound in relation to this geological anomaly, at the time of construction of the mound there was nothing visible at ground level that would have captured their attention. ==Recent history== The Serpent Mound was first mapped by Euro-Americans as early as 1815. In 1846 it was surveyed for the [[Smithsonian Institution]] by two [[Chillicothe, Ohio|Chillicothe]] men, [[E. G. Squier|Ephraim G. Squier]] and [[Edwin Hamilton Davis]]. Their book ''[[Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley]]'' (1848), published by the Smithsonian, included a detailed description and map of the serpent mound. ==Preservation== ''Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley'' fascinated many across the country, including [[Frederic Ward Putnam]] of the [[Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology]] at [[Harvard University]]. Putnam spent much of his career lecturing and publishing on the Ohio mounds, specifically the Serpent Mound. When he visited the Midwest in 1885, he found that plowing and development were destroying many of the mounds. In 1886, with help from a group of women in [[Boston]], Putnam raised funds to purchase {{convert|60|acre|m2}} at the Serpent Mound site for preservation. The purchase also contained three conical mounds, a village site and a burial place.<ref>Ralph W. Dexter, "Contributions of Frederic Ward Putnam to Ohio Archaeology", ''The Ohio Journal of Science'' 65(3): 110, May, 1965</ref> Serpent Mound is listed as a "Great Wonder Of the Ancient World" by ''National Geographic Magazine''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/nov/10/serpent-mound-ar-286661/|title=Serpent Mound Recognized As Great Wonder Of Ancient World|publisher=NBC4I.com|accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref> Originally purchased on behalf of the Trustees of the Peabody Museum, in 1900 the land and its ownership were granted to the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society (a predecessor of the present [[Ohio Historical Society]]). The [[Ohio Historical Society]] designated the Arc of Appalachia Preserves system, a project of [[Highlands Sanctuary]], Inc., as the managing agency of Serpent Mound <ref name=OHS>{{cite web|url=http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/sw16/index.shtml|title=Serpent Mound|publisher=Ohio Historical Society|accessdate=2011-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highlandssanctuary.org/Serpent_Mound_Visitors_Guide.htm|title=Serpent_Mound_Visitors_Guide|accessdate=2011-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiohillcountry.org/PDF/VoiceSpring2010.pdf|title=Spring 2010 Highlands Nature Sanctuary Protecting The Region's Woodlands|accessdate=2011-03-05}}</ref> Following an instance of vandalism in 2015, more security cameras and protective gates were added.<ref>[http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/11/06/serpent-mound-vandalism-joyride-ohio-adams-county/75212758/ "Man who took joyride at Serpent Mound sentenced"], Carrie Blackmore Smith. Cincinnati Enquirer. November 6, 2016. Retrieved 9 jan 2017</ref><ref>[http://www.wlwt.com/article/severe-weather-strikes-across-country/8574727 "Man faces felony charges after Serpent Mound Park vandalism"], Brian Hamrick. WLWT5. July 15, 2015. Retrieved 9 jan 2017</ref> ===Excavation=== After raising sufficient funds, in 1886 Putnam returned to the same site. He worked for four 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. One of the conical mounds that was excavated by Putnam (1890)<ref>http://www.unz.org/Pub/Century-1890apr-00871</ref> yielded a principal burial which has grave goods that associate it with the Adena period (800 BC-100 BC). He also found and excavated nine intrusive burials in the mound. Additionally, Putnam discovered an ash bed north of the conical mound that contained many prehistoric artifacts. After the excavation, the conical mound was reconstructed and is today standing south of the parking lot at Serpent Mound State Memorial. In 2011, excavations were undertaken prior to installation of utility lines at Serpent Mound State Memorial. The excavations focused on three sides of the conical mound that Putnam (1890) had excavated. In addition to concentrations of artifacts, an ashy soil horizon was excavated north of the conical mound. The ashy soil horizon had prehistoric artifacts associated with them. It is believed that the ashy deposit is a remnant of the ash bed that Putnam (1890) excavated. Wood charcoal from within the remnant ash bed was carbon dated to A.D. 1041-1211, the Fort Ancient period. Because the burials in the conical mound dated to the Early Woodland period, the Fort Ancient period dating of the remnant ash bed is suggestive of ritual reuse of the circum mound area.<ref>https://www.academia.edu/6699348/Long_Shadows_Over_the_Valley_Recent_Findings_from_ASC_Groups_Excavations_at_Serpent_Mound_State_Memor</ref> ===Serpent Mound Museum=== {{Main article|Ohio Historical Society}} [[File:Serpent Mound.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A digital [[GIS|GIS map]] of Ohio's Great Serpent Mound, created by Timothy A. Price and Nichole I. Stump in March 2002]] In 1901 the Ohio Historical Society hired engineer [[Clinton Cowan]] to survey newly acquired lands. Cowan created a 56 by {{convert|72|in|mm|adj=on}} map that depicted the outline of the Serpent Mound in relation to nearby landmarks, such as rivers. Cowan also made specific geographical surveys of the area, and he discovered the unique astrobleme on which the mound is based. He found that the mound is at the convergence of three distinctly different soil types. Cowan's information, in conjunction with Putnam's archaeological discoveries, has been the basis for all modern investigations of the Serpent Mound. In 1967, the Ohio Historical Society opened the '''Serpent Mound Museum''', built near the mound. A pathway was constructed around the base of the mound to help visitors. The museum features exhibits that include interpretations of the effigy's form, description of the processes of constructing the mound, the geographical history of the area, and an exhibit on the Adena culture, historically credited as the creators of the mound. Serpent Mound State Memorial is currently being operated on behalf of the Ohio Historical Society by the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System. It is a non-profit organization specializing in the preservation and protection of native [[biodiversity]] and prehistoric [[indigenous peoples|aboriginal]] sites in southern Ohio. ==See also== * [[Hopewell Culture National Historical Park]] * [[Mound builder (people)]] * [[Indian Mounds Park (disambiguation)]] * [[Crooks mound]] * [[Spiro Mounds]] * [[Glades culture]] * [[Nazca Lines]] * [[Cahokia]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== * Fletcher, Robert V., Terry L. Cameron, Bradley T. Lepper, Dee Anne Wymer, and William Pickard, "Serpent Mound: A Fort Ancient Icon?", ''Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology'', Vol 21, No. 1, Spring 1996, University of Iowa. *Putnam, Frederic Ward, "The Serpent Mound of Ohio: Site Excavation and Park Reconstruction.", ''Century Magazine'' Vol 39: 871-888. Illustrations by William Jacob Baer. * Squier, Ephraim G. and Edwin H. Davis, ''[[Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley]]'', Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1998. Reprint of 1848 edition with a new introduction by David J. Meltzer. *Weintraub, Daniel and Kevin R. Schwarz, "Long Shadows Over the Valley: Recent Findings from ASC Group's Excavations at Serpent Mound State Memorial", ''Current Research in Ohio Archaeology'' 2013. The Ohio Archaeological Council. * Woodward, Susan L. and Jerry N. McDonald, ''Indian Mounds of the Middle Ohio Valley'', Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, 1986 ==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/serpent-mound Serpent Mound], Ohio Historical Society * [http://arcofappalachia.org/serpent-mound/ Arc of Appalachia: Serpent Mound] * [http://www.nps.gov/hocu/ "Hopewell Culture National Historical Park"], National Park Service * [http://www.ohiohistoryteachers.org/03/04/sw07.shtml Ohio History Teachers - Field Trips: Serpent Mound] * [http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/northamerica/serpent.html "Archaeological Sites: Serpent Mound"], Minnesota State University Mankato * [http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2223 Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society] * [http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110329/NEWS01/103300319/Scientists-try-unlock-Serpent-Mound-secrets?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE Scientists try to unlock Serpent Mound secrets] {{Fort Ancient culture}} {{Pre-Columbian North America}} {{Registered Historic Places}} [[Category:Fort Ancient culture]] [[Category:Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio]] [[Category:Archaeological sites in Ohio]] [[Category:Pre-statehood history of Ohio]] [[Category:Museums in Adams County, Ohio]] [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Ohio]] [[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Ohio]] [[Category:Archaeological museums in Ohio]] [[Category:Ohio History Connection]] [[Category:History museums in Ohio]] [[Category:Snakes]] [[Category:Protected areas of Adams County, Ohio]] [[Category:Parks in Ohio]] [[Category:Geoglyphs]] [[Category:Mounds in Ohio]]'