(Pictured) One of the most famous Nazca geoglyphs. Image Credit: CC BY 3.0 Martin St-Amant
Archaeologists have succeeded in identifying several previously unseen geoglyphs in Peru's Palpa province.
Situated on a remote arid plateau in southern Peru, the Nazca Lines are a series of spectacular artistic designs, including images of spiders, monkeys, hummingbirds, fish and lizards, which were etched in to the desert floor around 2,000 years ago.
The designs were produced by removing the red colored pebbles that litter the desert to unveil the white dusty ground underneath.
Some of the drawings are huge and measure up to 200 meters across.
Now with the help of drone technology, Peruvian archaeologists have discovered a further 50 geoglyphs that are believed to date back up to 2,500 years.
The shapes had previously been missed by satellite surveys due to how thin the lines are.
"This is really a new age of exploration," said National Geographic 's Kristin Romey.
Really doesn't matter. One is entitled to think whatever one wishes. My point is--they were not created in a vacuum, isolated from everything else.. Their creation, their location, their hypothetical utilization is embedded in the cultural complex that surrounded them. I simply echo the conclusions of professionals who studied them for years or a lifetime. If I'm left with nothing but guesses, I prefer the educated ones.
There IS a theory that they are related to the waterways beneath the surface, and maybe at the same time indicative of various clans and their claims (or credit) for the work done to build those small water passages (or perhaps even for the water in them.) But it's not religious, so (apparently) it's not mainstream? I thought it was, but after the religious consensus here, I'm wondering which theory is currently in favor. Not wondering enough to go look, of course. I am far to lazy for that. Harte
I think those Nazca Lines served as a landmark, you know, like da Statue of Liberty, New York, to other lost civilizations. We're here. We're civilized. Trade with us. Don't mess with us. In my opinion. Even now, it's still served that purpose to us. Nazca Lines? Lima, Peru, right?
The "modern" city of Lima, Peru is located approximately 225 miles (360 km) northwest of the Nazca Plain. The "modern" city of Lima was founded in 1535 AD. Timelines and geography do matter. .
Aside from wooden stakes and Cotton String (Presumably used in laying out the lines the same way intricate designs end up in British Crop fields) pottery shards have also been found all of which have been temporally and culturally associated to the ancient Nazca. In the "Lost worlds of South America" lecture series available from the teaching company, Edwin Barnhardt devotes an entire lecture just to the Nazca. I have the audio version of the series and find it very informative. Those who enjoy unorthodox views of our past will be pleasantly surprised to find out that Dr. Barnhart holds opini... [More]
Some lines do seem to have alignments to aquifers but statistically not enough overall to indicate that was the purpose for the straight lines. Same with astronomical alignments for the lines and glyphs. If one cherrypicks from the vast number of them there are a few that have astronomical alignments (possibly even intentionally) but overall it doesn't bear out.
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