Effigy Mounds

Only a small percentage of the earthworks built by the Adena, Hopewell, and Fort Ancient cultures are effigy mounds, or earthworks in the shape of animals and birds. Their rarity does not decrease the skill with which they were made. Their precise function, though assumed to be generally ceremonial, is still unknown, though few effigy mounds served as burial grounds. They are often low, rarely more than six feet high but can reach extraordinary lengths. Felines, birds, deer, turtles, and bears are only a small sampling of the animals shaped with earth. Like their geometric counterparts, many of them fell victim to modern urban expansion, but, fortunately, their recognizable shapes often captivated European settlers and several stunning effigy mounds still remain.

Effigy mounds, like geometrical mounds, are not exclusive to the Ohio River Valley. Cultures such as those in northern Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota, though comparatively poorly-known, left equally impressive effigy mounds, of which many more survive than their Ohio River Valley counterparts. For the sake of cultural comparison, several of these are included for reference on this page and also on the Map of Mounds in the Ohio River Valley.