that no historical excavation, made by the creators of the effigy, was found in the region. They examine the headland where the mound is built. They describe it as a "beautifully rounded spur of land," and question if the site was rounded by humans to create such a rounded place. During their visit, they also noticed that damage had been done to the headland. They note that other earthworks can be seen from the top of the headland, specifically those in the Newark group. After their survey, Squier and Davis concluded that the site was used for sacrifices or "on stated or extraordinary occasions,". Lepper and Frolking: 1999 In 1999, Brad Lepper and Tod A. Frolking conducted a professional archaeological investigation of the mound. By radiometric dating of a piece of charcoal recovered from the base of the mound, they estimate its construction to have been 1,000 years BP (about AD 950). Lepper suggests that the Alligator Mound is an effigy of an underwater panther, a powerful figure in Native American myth. He thinks that early European settlers misinterpreted what Native Americans told them about the effigy. They were told that it was a fierce creature that lived in the water and ate people, which they assumed to be an alligator. References External links Ohio Exploration Society - Alligator Mound - The Project Gutenberg EBook of Animal Carvings from Mounds of the Mississippi Valley, by Henry W. Henshaw 1848 archaeological discoveries Fort Ancient culture Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Archaeological sites in Ohio Geography of Licking County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Licking County, Ohio Geoglyphs Mounds in Ohio