Nazca Lines in Peru

8/12/2019 Nazca Lines in Peru

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Nazca lines in Peru
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nasca_Astronaut_2007_08.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NEO_nazca_lines_big.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazca_Lines_SPOT_1311.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazca_monkey.jpg


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The mystery Theories of the Nazca Lines mainly attempt to explain why these remarkabledrawings were created, and some theories seek to address the "how" questionas well. Especially in the earlier years of study, it was difficult for manyanthropologists to believe that the ancient Nazca peoples could have createdthe Lines without help from a more advanced society - or species!

The general consensus of archaeologists, anthropologists and scientists isthat the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca people themselves, withouthelp from celestial visitors or aerial views. The figures drawn in the desertcorrespond with images found in other examples of Nazca art, such aspottery. It is almost certain that the Nazca Lines had a sacred purpose ,because: other artifacts of the Nazca culture show a preoccupation withdeath; other major monuments of the ancient world are known to be ritual innature; and no plausible practical purpose has yet been discovered. The Nazca

Lines may have been ritual centers for helping the dead achieve immortality;they may have been an offering to the gods; or they could have been a majorpilgrimage site. We may never know why the Nazca peoples put so much timeand care into a project that they could barely see. In spite of all that we knowabout them in recent years, the Nazca Lines remain a mystery.


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Perhaps the most famous theory of the Nazca Lines is that of Swiss writer Erich von Dniken . In his 1968 book Chariots of the Gods , he suggestedthat the lines were built by ancient astronauts as a landing field. He identifiesthe pictures as "signals" and the longer lines as "landing strips."In 1977, Jim

Woodman accepted that the Nazca people made the lines themselves, butpuzzled over why they would make them so big that they couldn't even seenthem. He hypothesized that the Nazca people used hot-air balloons for"ceremonial flights" to view their creations. Woodman attempted todemonstrate the validity of his theory by constructing a hot-air balloon out ofthe materials that would have been available to the Nazca. Using cloth, ropeand reeds, Woodman and his colleagues assembled the balloon then riskedtheir lives on a balloon ride that reached a height of 300 feet. The balloonsoon descended rapidly; the balloonists bailed out 10 feet above the desertbefore it crashed some distance away. In recent years, the professionalskeptic Joe Nickell has demonstrated that the drawings would not have beenhard to accomplish with only the tools available to the ancient Nazca. Nickellhas also shown that although the size of the figures suggests they wereintended primarily for the enjoyment of the gods , the drawings can beappreciated from the ground as well.

Possible explanations


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After people traveled over the area by plane in the 1930s and saw the Nazca Linesfrom the air, anthropologists started studying them, with focus on trying to understandhow they were created. Scholars have theorized the Nazca people could have usedsimple tools and surveying equipment to construct the lines. Studies have found

wooden stakes in the ground at the end of some lines, which support this theory. Onesuch stake was carbon-dated and the basis for establishing the age of the designcomplex. Researcher Joe Nickell of the University of Kentucky has reproduced thefigures by using tools and technology available to the Nazca people. The NationalGeographic called his work "remarkable in its exactness" when compared to the actuallines.With careful planning and simple technologies, a small team of people couldrecreate even the largest figures within days, without any aerial assistance. Most of thelines form a trench about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) deep. The lines were made byremoving the reddish-brown iron oxide-coated pebbles that cover the surface of the

Nazca desert. When the gravel is removed, it leaves a shallow trough ranging from 10centimetres (3.9 in) to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) deep and the light-colored earth beneathshows in lines of sharply contrasting color and tone. This sublayer contains highamounts of lime which with the morning mist hardens forming a protective layer thatshields the lines from winds therefore preventing erosion. The Nazca "drew" severalhundred simple but huge curvilinear animal and human figures by this technique. Intotal, the earthwork project is huge and complex: the area encompassing the lines isnearly 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi), and the largest figures can span nearly 270metres (890 ft). The extremely dry, windless, and constant climate of the Nazca regionhas preserved the lines well. The Nazca desert is one of the driest on Earth andmaintains a temperature around 25 C (77 F) all year round. The lack of wind hashelped keep the lines uncovered and visible to the present day.


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My personal opinionI think Nazca lines made for communication between Nazcapeople, and show each to other some things or sights.


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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazca_monkey.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazca-lineas-manos-c01.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazca-lineas-perro-c01.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazca-lineas-pelicano-c01.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazca-lineas-arana-c01.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lignes_de_Nazca_oiseau.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nasca_Condor_2007_08.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lignes_de_Nazca_D%C3%A9cembre_2006_-_Colibri_1.jpg

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Nazca Lines in Peru