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The Nazca Lines are giant drawings on the desert floor of southern Peru, made between about 500 BC and AD 500 by clearing away dark reddish stones to reveal the pale ground beneath.

Archaeology (Nazca Lines)

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The story behind the card

Most of the lines were made by the Nazca culture, which flourished in the region between about 200 BC and AD 500. Beside hundreds of straight lines and geometric shapes, more than 70 figures show animals and plants: a hummingbird 93 metres long, a condor of 134 metres, a monkey of about 93 by 58 metres and a spider of 47 metres. They have survived because this is one of the driest places on Earth, where rain almost never falls. Their purpose is still debated; ideas include ritual walking paths and ceremonies linked to water. Parts can be seen from the surrounding foothills, so their makers did not need a view from the air. UNESCO listed the lines in 1994, and in 2024 Japanese researchers using artificial intelligence reported 303 previously unknown figures nearby.

Türkçe oku
Nazca Çizgileri, güney Peru'daki çölün yüzeyine yapılmış dev çizimlerdir. MÖ 500 ile MS 500 arasında, koyu kırmızımsı taşlar kenara çekilip alttaki açık renkli toprak ortaya çıkarılarak yapıldılar.

Çizgilerin çoğunu, bölgede yaklaşık MÖ 200 ile MS 500 arasında gelişen Nazca kültürü yaptı. Yüzlerce düz çizgi ve geometrik şeklin yanında, 70'i aşkın figür hayvan ve bitkileri gösterir: 93 metre uzunluğunda bir sinek kuşu, 134 metrelik bir kondor, yaklaşık 93'e 58 metrelik bir maymun ve 47 metrelik bir örümcek bunlardan bazılarıdır. Çizgilerin bugüne kalmasının nedeni, bölgenin dünyanın en kurak yerlerinden biri olmasıdır; buraya neredeyse hiç yağmur yağmaz. Ne işe yaradıkları hâlâ tartışılıyor; tören yolları ya da suyla ilgili ayinler için yapılmış olabilecekleri düşünülüyor. Bazı bölümleri çevredeki tepelerden görülebildiği için yapanların havadan bakmasına gerek yoktu. UNESCO çizgileri 1994'te Dünya Mirası Listesi'ne aldı; 2024'te yapay zekâdan yararlanan Japon araştırmacılar yakın çevrede daha önce bilinmeyen 303 figür bulduklarını açıkladı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Nazca Lines
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