Describe the Serpent Mound.
What are some Native American tools and instruments that are sold in the gift shop?
What is the purpose of the mound?
Who built this mound? When did they build it?
How did they build it?
Why did they choose the shape of a snake?
Mayan Artwork Uncovered in a Guatemalan Forest
Describe what the archaeologists discovered in Guatemala.
What is known about the room?
What do the paintings and numbers depict?
How old are these paintings? Why is it so rare that they have survived?
How are Mayan numbers written? What do these numbers prove?
The Serpent Mound is a prehistoric effigy mound located in Adams County, Ohio. It is a giant earthwork shaped like a serpent, winding across the landscape for over 1,300 feet. The mound is believed to have been built by the Native American people of the Fort Ancient culture around 1000 BC. The purpose of the mound is still debated among archaeologists, with theories ranging from a burial site to an astronomical calendar.
In the gift shop at the Serpent Mound site, visitors can find a variety of Native American tools and instruments such as handcrafted pottery, jewelry, dream catchers, and traditional musical instruments like flutes and drums.
In Guatemala, archaeologists have uncovered a room adorned with intricate murals and hieroglyphs in a forest within the Mayan archaeological site of Holmul. The room is believed to have been a residential structure likely belonging to an elite Mayan family. The paintings depict scenes of rulers, celestial symbols, and numbers, including a calendar count.
The paintings discovered in Guatemala are estimated to be around 1,500 years old. The rarity of their preservation is attributed to being sealed within the collapsed structure of the room. Mayan numbers are written as combinations of bars and dots, with each combination representing a different value. The numbers found in the paintings provide evidence of the Mayans' complex understanding and use of mathematics in their society.