Part 13/16:
Hancock suggests Serpent Mound might be 10,000 years old, aligning it with the last ice age and proposing that ancient peoples built it at the edge of glacial activity—a claim contradicted by radiocarbon dating placing the mound’s creation around 1,000 CE, with later reconstructions.
He uses the landscape's topography—hills and flatlands affected by glacial retreat—to argue that ancient peoples intentionally chose spots at the former ice sheet boundaries. While some geological insight is correct, Hancock overly emphasizes this as evidence of a lost civilization’s knowledge, ignoring basic archaeological dating and cultural development.
Critical Takeaways: The Flaws in Hancock’s Approach
Throughout both episodes, several patterns emerge: