National Public Radio’s All Things Considered came to Serpent Mound last week in the person of Noah Adams. His story, “The Ohio Snake Art That’s Been Mid-Slither For A Millennium,” was broadcast on today’s program. It’s a relatively short segment and the story wasn’t focused on the science of Serpent Mound. (In fact, one of my sound bites refers to my decidedly UNscientific feelings about this magical place.) In the time allowed, there was no opportunity for a discussion about the complexities of the ongoing debate over the age of Serpent Mound. Noah refers to my current judgement that the effigy mound was built by people of the Fort Ancient culture and, as regular readers of this blog will know, that is my view in spite of new radiocarbon dates for the site that suggest it’s a millennium older than that. Regardless of the story’s brevity, Noah does a wonderful job of conveying the essence of the place and why you should want to come and experience it for yourself. If you’ve never been to the Serpent, I hope listening to the story convinces you that it’s time to make the trip. And if you’ve been there, but it’s been years since your last visit, then maybe it’s time to see it again with a new sense of appreciation for this wonder of the ancient world. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Noah Adams (left) and Brad Lepper standing in front of the Serpent Mound

Brad Lepper