Ancient images can be seen not only from the air
More than 100 new rock paintings discovered by researchers in the ancient Nazca plain in Peru. Discovered this month, dozens of geoglyphs are over 2,000 years old and, thanks to their smaller size, can be seen from the ground.
More than a hundred new drawings discovered in and around the ancient Nazca plain in Peru may shed light on mysterious pre-Columbian artworks that have intrigued scientists and tourists for decades.
After two years of field research using aerial photography and drones, Peruvian and Japanese researchers at Yamagata University earlier this month reported the discovery of 168 new specimens at a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Peru’s South Pacific coast, The Guardian reports.
The geoglyphs, huge figures carved in the South American desert, date back over 2,000 years and depict people, cats, snakes, killer whales, birds, and native animal species (llamas, guanacos, and alpacas).
Jorge Olano, chief archaeologist of the Nazca Lines research program, said the newly discovered figures had an average length of 2 to 6 meters. The purpose of the Nazca lines, which could only be seen from the air, remains a mystery.
However, the findings this month are smaller and can be seen from the ground, Masato Sakai, a professor at Yamagata University who led the study, told Reuters.
Iconic remnants of Peru’s rich history, the figures are about three hours’ drive from the capital, Lima. Researchers have already discovered 190 figures in the area since 2004. But the vastness of the area they cover has complicated efforts to study and preserve the heritage site.
Yamagata University said the study will be used in AI-based surveys to help keep the lines alive.
Research carried out by the university in collaboration with the Peruvian government has helped delineate and protect an area that is threatened by urban and economic development.
“Some of the geoglyphs are in danger of being destroyed due to the recent expansion of the mining workshops in the archaeological park,” says Professor Sakai.
The famous Nazca geoglyphs are a group of giant geometric and figurative images on the Nazca plateau in southern Peru. On the plateau, stretching for more than 50 kilometers from north to south and 5–7 kilometers from west to east, dozens of drawings were known (in the form of birds, monkeys, spiders, flowers, etc.); about 13 thousand lines and stripes and about 700 geometric shapes (triangles, trapezoids and spirals) were also discovered.
Due to the peculiarities of the semi-desert climate, ancient geoglyphs have been preserved since ancient times. Since many images reach several hundred meters in length and are difficult to recognize from the ground, they were officially discovered only during flights over the plateau in the first half of the last century. In 1994, the Nazca geoglyphs were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Many researchers attribute images to the pre-Columbian Nazca civilization, which existed in several valleys on the southern coast of Peru from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD.