Secrets of the Serpent

Serpent Mound in southern Ohio stretches some 1,350 feet from its coiled tail to its jaws, which appear to be closing around an oval mound. Archaeologists still debate when the earthwork was first constructed and by which culture. Recently, a team of researchers has suggested that the earthwork embodies a Native American creation narrative.

The rippling form of Serpent Mound appears to slither across the landscape, its curves pulsing with the illusion of life. Viewed from the air, the 1,350-

Jason Colavito is a journalist and author living in upstate New York.