The new carvings found at Nazca, in southern Peru, could date back over 2,000 years and depict humans and animals, including birds and snakes.
The lines “were scratched on the surface of the ground between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500,”
says, adding that the designs at the site are “among archaeology’s greatest enigmas” and “the most outstanding group of geoglyphs anywhere in the world.”Their purpose is still unknown, but UNESCO says they may have served “ritual astronomical functions.”researchers from Japan’s Yamagata University saidWhile most of the site’s most famous images are so large that they can only be seen from the air, the most recent images are mostly small, measuring less than 10 meters in diameter.
The findings will be used in shaping future surveys carried out by artificial intelligence to protect the area, according to the university. The site faces threats from urban and economic developments, Masato Sakai, the lead researcher and a professor from Japan’s Yamagata University,“Some geoglyphs are in danger of being destroyed due to the recent expansion of mining-related workshops in the archaeological park,” he said.
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Aerial investigation reveals 168 previously unnoticed Nazca Lines in PeruOwen Jarus is a regular contributor to Live Science who writes about archaeology and humans' past. He has also written for The Independent (UK), The Canadian Press (CP) and The Associated Press (AP), among others. Owen has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toronto and a journalism degree from Ryerson University.
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