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In the Aja region near the Peruvian city of Nazca, archaeologists have discovered 168 previously unknown geoglyphs created by Indigenous people more than a thousand years ago – often referred to as the Nazca Lines.
The newly found geoglyphs include outlines of humans, camelids, birds, killer whales, felines, and snakes. It is unknown why prehistoric people shaped the Nazca Lines, but one idea is that these features helped create the Nazca Lines. Nazca people find water in the desert.
The newly discovered geoglyphs are dated between 100 BC and 300 AD and were discovered during fieldwork conducted between June 2019 and February 2020 by a team from Yamagata University in Japan working with Jorge Olano, chief archaeologist of the Nazca Lines research program. The team used aerial photographs and drones to make the reconnaissance. expression (opens in new tab).
Related: New Nazca Line geoglyph discovered: a 120-foot-tall cat
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In one image, a headless person holding a stick or something resembling a stick stands motionless as his head falls. But while this scene may seem like it came from a battlefield, researchers saw it in another way. “According to me [this scene] it may not be a war, but a ritual depiction” Masato Sakai (opens in new tab)professor of cultural anthropology and Andean archaeology He told Live Science in an email, leading the Yamagata University team. The ritual depicted may include a beheading.
The team has been searching for geoglyphs in this area for nearly a decade. In the statement, they said their discovery of the newly found earthen art piece brought a total of 358 geoglyphs.
The team is helping develop artificial intelligence that can detect geoglyphs by analyzing aerial images. Sakai said that while AI has not been used to find 168 new geoglyphs, the team hopes to use the new geoglyphs to “teach” the system to find more as it scans the countryside for more of these ancient depictions. “We are using these identified geoglyphs for the artificial intelligence research we are currently conducting,” Sakai said.
Justin Jennings (opens in new tab)The discovery of the new geoglyphs appears to be correct, said the curator of New World Archeology at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada, who was not involved in the team’s research.
“The excellent work of Masato Sakai, Jorge Olana and their team provides a more detailed understanding of what is going on in the area, using higher resolution images to distinguish between smaller and dimmer. [geoglyphs] Jennings, who conducts extensive archaeological research in Peru, told Live Science in an email.
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Some of the 168 new geoglyphs were made partly by piling up stones, Jennings said. This is interesting because most of the other Nazca lines were created by removing the soil and exposing the white surface underneath.
“This work shows us how we see only part of the picture, as smaller geoglyphs are made by piling up stones,” Jennings said. Said.
The team is working with authorities to create a new archaeological park in the Aja area to help preserve the geoglyphs.
