I think these ‘drums’ were teaching tools, early representations of the world as they knew it. The top is the primordial mound with north, south, east, west. The sides helped explained how to read the sun and seasons. The eyes and wings motif depicts the Phoenix (sun rise) and the serpent (chaos) chasing it out from the underworld. The ball was a tool to show the sun’s movement, and the wands and triangulation points taught how to travel by starlight.
I think these ‘drums’ were teaching tools, early representations of the world as they knew it. The top is the primordial mound with north, south, east, west. The sides helped explained how to read the sun and seasons. The eyes and wings motif depicts the Phoenix (sun rise) and the serpent (chaos) chasing it out from the underworld. The ball was a tool to show the sun’s movement, and the wands and triangulation points taught how to travel by starlight.