Great Mound, Ancient earthwork in Adams County, Ohio, United States.
The Great Mound is a prehistoric earthwork shaped like a serpent with a coiled tail, located on a raised plateau in the region. The structure stretches for several hundred meters and rises a few meters high, becoming clearly visible when viewed from above.
The construction dates to around 300 BCE when the Adena people built it, with later changes made by the Fort Ancient culture. These modifications across centuries show that different peoples continued to view the location as important to their own purposes.
The earthwork served as a place where Native Americans marked their relationship with celestial events through careful design. Its form and orientation reveal that precision and sky-watching held deep meaning for those who built it.
The site is open from Wednesday through Sunday and features an observation platform for viewing. From this elevated vantage point, the entire serpentine shape becomes clear, making it the best spot for understanding the full layout.
The mound sits directly above a meteorite impact crater, merging two distinct natural histories at a single location. This convergence of geological and human timescales makes the spot particularly noteworthy in scientific study.
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