Archaeology & History

300 previously unseen Nazca geoglyphs discovered by AI in Peru

By T.K. Randall
September 24, 2024 ·  5 comments

Some examples of the newly discovered designs. Image Credit: Masato Sakai et al. 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, that were skillfully etched into the desert floor approximately 2,000 years ago.

Most of the more prominent 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.

The precise number of such geoglyphs present in the region has long remained difficult to determine, mostly due to how worn and indistinct many of them have become over the years.More recently, however, artificial intelligence has enabled scientists to pick out even the most faint examples, bringing these long-lost pictographs to light after being hidden for centuries.

Now, following a research effort spanning just six months, scientists using AI have unveiled a whopping 303 previously unseen geoglyphs - essentially doubling the known total number.

The new designs include both human-like figures and animals such as birds and fish.

One of the weirdest has been described as a "killer whale holding a knife."

Exactly how many more geoglyphs remain undiscovered in the region, however, remains to be seen.

Source: Live Science | Comments (5)

Tags: Nazca Lines