Archaeologists Make Odd Discovery Among Peru's Nazca Lines

Archaeologists have dug up something big. They found 168 previously unknown geoglyphs around the area of Nazca, Peru. Here's what to know about the fascinating discovery...

Geoglyphs are works of art created in a landscape by moving objects around, according to Geographyrealm. The artists will arrange objects to create lines or spaces that contrast, producing images. They were ancient art forms, and one of the most famous works of geoglyph art is the Nazca Lines in Peru. A team from the Yamagata University Institute of Nasca worked with Jorge Olano, the head archaeologist for the Nazca Lines research program, over the course of eight months, which is when they found these previously unknown geoglyphs. They used a variation of aerial photos and drones to make their discovery. They believe that they date from 100 B.C. and A.D. 300. Some of the newly discovered artwork include outlines of humans, birds, whales, snakes, and cats. There was one depiction of a headless human holding what appeared to be a stick or club as its head rolled away.

Masato Sakai, a professor of Cultural Anthropology and Andean Archaeology at Yamagata University and who led the team from Yamagata, told Live Science in an email, “I think [this scene] might be a ritual depiction, not warfare.” The team’s work is not done yet. They believe there is more to be discovered and understood about what happened in this region centuries ago. They are developing AI technology to help them find more ancient depictions in Peru. These new discoveries are interesting because they were created by stones being piled atop each other, and most other Nazca lines that have been discovered were created by removing soil to expose the white surface that lay beneath. There are many mysteries still being uncovered in Peru, like the possibility that the Lost City of Atlantis could be floating in its waters.

Researchers still are unsure of what purpose these geoglyphs served. However, we may be one step closer to finding out. Stay tuned while this story develops.