Was the Great Serpent Mound inspired by the spectacular passage of Halley's Comet in A.D. 1066? That's just one theory on its origins. For more, read Ohio Historical Society archaeologist Bradley Lepper's article on the Ancient astronomers.
Take a virtual walk (with an opinionated guide) on the Great Hopewell Road.
Two mid-19th century views of Licking County's Alligator Mound by David Wyrick and James H. Salisbury.
The Whittlesey People (named after Col. Charles Whittlesey, an early student of Ohio's prehistoric cultures) were the subject of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's 1994 Field School in Archaeology, led by Brian G. Redmond.
TRAVEL NOW / MOUNDS AND MOUNDBUILDERS
EXPLORE AMERICA'S ANCIENT HISTORY.
The first inhabitants of North America built hundreds of effigy and burial mounds throughout the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee river valleys, and along the eastern seaboard. These mysterious lumps and bumps intrigued and mystified the pioneer settlers who came upon them, clearing fields in the 1800's - and they continue to fascinate archaeologists, anthropologists, "archeoastronomers" and all heritage travelers today.