When Frederick Ward Putnam excavated the Serpent Mound near the end of the 19th century,
he also excavated two Adena Burial Mounds in the immediate area, one of which is shown below. He believed the Serpent Mound was thousands of years old and constructed by the Adena. Radioactive carbon datings in 1991 gave results of about 1070 A.D., which was during the Fort Ancient period. The evidence for Serpent Mound being a Fort Ancient effigy also includes a nearby Fort Ancient village site, a nearby Fort Ancient burial mound (the elliptical mound) and the importance of serpents in Fort Ancient art. |
