Archaeology & History

Middle East geoglyphs predate Nazca Lines

By T.K. Randall
December 3, 2015 ·  5 comments

A Google Earth image of the 'works of the old men'. Image Credit: Google Earth The enigmatic geoglyphs, which were first discovered during World War One, come in a wide range of different shapes and sizes and can be found across the entire Arabia region from Syria to Yemen.

Researchers now believe that some of the patterns might even predate the famous Nazca Lines of Peru and that they have been arranged in such a way so as to have astronomical significance.

The spoked wheel designs have been of particular interest as the spokes appear to exhibit a southeast-northwest orientation in alignment with sunrise during the winter solstice.Some of the patterns may have also been associated with burials or had ritualistic significance.

Like the Nazca Lines the mysterious geoglyphs are only really apparent from far above, despite the fact that the technology to view them from such a height wouldn't be invented for several millennia.

The Bedouin, who frequent these desert regions, refer to the formations as "works of the old men."

Source: Live Science | Comments (5)

Tags: Geoglyphs, Jordan