Fig. 4: Bas-relief showing a Worm Hunt scene.

The Worm, or Serpent, portrayed as a titanic burrowing monster, is often present in the art of this era, usually in combination with one or many hunters.

This piece shows it standing atop a pile of fallen warriors, emitting waves from its open maw. These emissions have been interpreted as a roar, spewing of venom, or even the shedding of spores (as the fallen warriors are sometimes portrayed with mushrooms growing from their flesh, though this is a common signifier for death or decay in similar pieces).

Until recently, the Worm was thought to represent drought, due to it always being shown in a desert, while its hunters are consistently shown standing on grass or cultivated fields. Other experts hypothesize that it might represent an invader, as there is evidence of increased militarization and fortification of cities up to the time of their collapse, with art depicting battles often attributing annelid or serpentine features to the enemy (Fig. 8) and antagonistic deities (Fig. 12). While both theories held some credibility, most archeologists agreed that until the associated script was translated, these were nothing but pressupotions.

Of course, Copeman and Spakov's discovery of a mummified twenty-three-meter-long annelid in an otherwise-empty royal tomb changed the consensus on such depictions.

While studies of the annelid mummy are still underway, archeologists and historians argue the significance of it having been placed on the throne.