P
“Reclining on one of the huge
folds of this gigantic serpent, as
the last rays of the sun, glancing
from distant hilltops, cast their
long shadows over the valley, I
mused on the probabilities of
the past; and there seemed to
come to me a picture as of a
distant time, and with it came
a demand for an interpretation
of this mystery. The unknown
must become known.”
—Fredric Ward Putnam, director
of the Peabody Museum, on the
Great Serpent Moundmuch in common with the Adena tradition (see
entry for CA. 1000 B.C. TO A.D. 200), which pre-
dated it in what is now Ohio. Like the Adena, the
Hopewell obtain food by hunting and gathering,
supplemented with farming. Hopewell farmers,
however, eventually add a new crop—maize (Indian
corn)—that give them a more secure food supply
and allow their population to grow.
The Hopewell live in small villages, often
clustered around large ceremonial centers. The settle-
ments feature burial mounds that are far larger than
those constructed by the Adena. These mounds cover
crypts that serve as burial chambers for the social
and political elite. Buried with corpses or their cre-
mated remains are elaborate goods, such as copper
breastplates and ear ornaments, pipes carved in ani-
mal shapes, pearl bead necklaces, painted fabrics, andca. 200 B.C. to A.D. 400The Great Serpent Mound, constructed by Adena or Hopewell Indians in present-day Ohio, is one of the largest
mounds in the world. (Library of Congress, Neg. no. USZ62-049402)