Drones Discover 25 Never-Before-Seen Geoglyphs Near Famous Nazca Lines

AncientPages.com - Archaeological discoveries keep reminding us of Peru’s remarkable ancient history. Many places in Peru are still shrouded in mystery and we can look forward to interesting archaeological discoveries in the near future. Several ancient sites are difficult to access and scientists must rely on high-tech equipment to investigate these prehistoric sites.

We have previously asked how many more geoglyphs remain undiscovered near the famous Nazca Lines, and it seems we have reason to repeat the question.

Credit: AFP

Archaeologists have just announced they have found 25 never-before-seen huge geoglyphs near Nazca. The enormous figures were spotted by low-flying drones.

According to news reported by Peru's Culture Ministry, the new geoglyphs include figures of a killer whale, as well as a woman dancing.

So far more than 1,000 drawings including animal figures and geometric patterns have been discovered in the Nazca Desert.

Most of the drawings appear to have been made by the Paracas culture hundreds of years before the Nazca.

As previously reported in Ancient Pages, not long ago, archaeologists discovered a giant Orca geoglyph along with mysterious symbols and a ‘trophy head’.

In April, 2018 archaeologists announced dozens of new geoglyphs are clearly visible from the air and some of them are among the oldest yet found.

Johny Isla, an archaeologist who heads the culture ministry's conservation efforts in the region explained that an additional 25 geoglyphs that had previously been spotted by local residents have also been mapped with drones.

These unnamed flying devices “have allowed us to broaden our documentation and discover new groups of figures. “We still haven’t walked among them, we’ve only taken pictures. This is the first stage of research,” Isla said.

Readers of Ancient Pages may recall that the enigmatic Palpa Lines in Peru are not as famous as the Nazca lines, but these puzzling lines and geoglyphs that can only be properly viewed from the air are equally interesting.

Archaeological examinations reveal the Palpa lines are older than the Nazca lines and were most likely created by the Paracas culture, an Andean society that existed about 800 BCE and 100 BCE, in what today is the Ica Region of Peru.

The geoglyphs created by the Nazca and Paracas cultures are striking reminders of Peru's rich pre-Columbian history and are considered archaeological enigmas, as no one knows for sure why they were drawn, or so large and for so long.

"In total we're talking about 1,200 years in which geoglyphs were produced" in the region, Isla said.

One cannot get rid of the feeling discovery of new geoglyphs may soon be announced again. Considering the fact these structures can only be seen from the air, there is a possibility many geoglyphs still remain undiscovered, but hopefully, modern technology will help us to unravel the ancient mystery of this beautiful and historically interesting region.

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