Atestat Engl model

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Nazca lines

CONTENTS:

1.Introduction

The lines of Nazca, as well as the animal and plant geoglypsassociated with them, are amongst, the most mysterious ancientwors of pre!Colum"ian #eru and, in fact, in the world. $ar lessfamous than the pyramids of %iza in Egypt or Stonehenge inEngland, they do &t into the same class as these enigmas, asnone of them ha'e "een completely decoded.

The Nazca(or )Nasca*+ lines and geoglyphs are ancient wors ,

which, in some ways, are as trou"ling as those mentioned a"o'e,in that they ha'e ne'er "een properly eplained. -aned pro"a"lythird in terms in popular ancient places to 'isit in #eru, withachu #icchu clearly "eing num"er one and the /0E T2T2C0C0area num"er two, Nazca recei'es hundreds of thousands oftourists per year. Those with the stomach for it 3y o'er the 'astNazca plain in order to o"ser' the mysterious etchings from theair. 0nd others, somewhat apprehensi'e of clim"ing into a small

plane in a foreign country tend to "e satis&ed with 'iewing acouple of the geoglyphs and some of the lines from a tower onthe side of the highway. The area itself stretches more than 45mand it "est accessed "y small aircraft. Taing o6 from a smallairport near #aracas with se'eral other people sitting on eithersides of the planes with full window access, it taes a"out 78minutes or so to reach the 'arious &gures.

9hat 2 will attempted in this certi&cate is to co'er all of the

pre'ailing theories as to who made the Nazca wors, why andwhen. eliefs range from primiti'e Nazca nati'e people car'ingthem into the earth of the "arren desert in order to appease gods,to ancient aliens maing "road runways in order to land theiretraterrestrial machines.


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So what exactly is so impressive about the Nazca Lines? Theanswer is simple. 2t;s the fact that they still remain 'isi"le to theeye after thousands of years, the sheer size of the &gures and theperfection of which they are created. One of my many .Where is Nazca anyway?The history of thisbeautiful town

The Nazca /ines =Bnz= are a series of ancient geoglyphslocated in the Nazca Desert in southern #eru. They weredesignated as a NESCO 9orld Feritage Site in 1GG7. The high,arid plateau stretches more than 45 m (85 mi+ "etween thetowns of Nazca and #alpa on the #ampas de Humana a"out 755

m south of /ima., the capital of #eru.0cces to the town of Nazca and the lines are 'ia the highwayfrom /ima, and most people 'isit using one of the many "usser'ices to tra'el along the #an 0mericana highway.


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Nazca, is a city and system of 'alleys on the southern coast of#eru, is the one of the driest places in the world with an a'erageannual precipitation of 7 millimeters. NazcaIs weather iscontrolled "y Fum"oldtIs Current, which carries water from

0ntarctica up the west coast of South 0merica. This cold oceanwater cools the air and limits the accumulation of moisture withincloudsJ as a result, though clouds and fog are a"le to form, thereis little rain. nlie Cusco, the capital of the 2nca ci'ilization and#eru;s tourist epicentre, NazcaIs temperatures range from 15 toK> LC with an a'erage daily high of >1 LC. Summer months fromNo'em"er to arch are dry, sunny, and hot. During the winterfrom Hune to 0ugust, fog from the coast rolls o'er the hills to eep

temperatures in the moderate rangeJ howe'er, the intense sunmaes daylight hours seem hotter than they actually are.

0 thermal induced wind is characteristic of the area much of theyear, and actually maes it cooler than it would "e otherwise. Thewind tends to "uild in late morning, reaches a maimum inmidafternoon and then dies down in the e'ening. 2t is for thisreason that the 3ights o'er the Nazca lines are usually restrictedto the morning time.

The Nazca culture (also Nasca+ was the archaeological culturethat 3ourished from 155 C to 455 0D "eside the dry southerncoast of #eru in the ri'er 'alleys of the -io %rande de Nazcadrainage and the 2ca Malley (Sil'erman and #roul, >55>+. Fa'ing"een hea'ily in3uenced "y the preceding #aracas culture, whichwas nown for etremely comple tetiles, the Nazca produced anarray of "eautiful crafts and technologies such as ceramics,

tetiles, and geoglyphs (most commonly nown as the Nazcalines+. 0fter the fall of the 2nca at the hands of the Spanishcon


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There are two 'ersions of the Spanish foundation. 0ccording tothe writings of chroniclers, it was founded on Octo"er >4, 1874,commissioned "y #edro de la %asca, peacemaer "y 0lonso deendoza. The other 'ersion says that it was founded "y Miceroy

%arca Furtado de endoza, 8th ar


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the 0rgentine anuel -oAas 0rgerich /ieutenant Colonel incommand of >85 men: 115 infantry and 175 ca'alry.

Early on, Nazca was nown for producing a grape "randy , similar

to the more famous pisco, intended for sla'es, and the localpeople called the distilled li


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The Nazca ci'ilization 3ourished on the southern coast of #eru"etween >55 CE and U55 CE. They settled in the Nazca andother surrounding 'alleys with their principal religious and ur"ansites "eing Cahuachi and Mentilla, respecti'ely. The culture is

noted for its distincti'e pottery and tetiles, and perhaps a"o'eall, for the geoglyphs made on the desert 3oor commonly nownas Nazca lines. These can "e simple lines, cleared spaces, oranimals and &gures traced in outline, and, as they co'er se'eralilometres, they are "est appreciated from the air.

OME-M2E9

The Nazca were contemporary with, and then outlasted, the

#aracas culture and many #aracas sites ha'e "een disco'ered"eneath Nazca settlements. #olitically, the Nazca ci'ilization has"een descri"ed as a collection of chiefdoms occasionally acting inunison for mutual interest rather than as a single uni&ed state. Oras .E. oseley puts it, Xindi'iduality ! with cultural coherence,"ut without large!scale or integrated power ! were NazcahallmarsX. This interpretation is reinforced "y the art andarchitecture of the Nazca which displays common themes across

settlements "ut at the same time there is a general lac ofuniform town planning or e'idence of centralization. Themaimum population of the Nazca has "een estimated at >8,555people, spread across small 'illages which were typically "uilt onterraced hillsides near irrigated 3oodplains.

0s they de'eloped, the Nazca etended their in3uence into the#isco Malley in the north and the 0cari Malley in the south. 2naddition, as llamas, alpaca and 'icuna do not sur'i'e in the

coastal areas the use of their wool in Nazca tetiles is e'idencethat trade was esta"lished with highland cultures. 2n addition,Nazca mummies ha'e "een disco'ered wearing headdressesmade with the feathers of rainforest "irds, once again, illustratingthat goods were traded across great distances.


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%ra'es, often placed up to 7.8 metres deep and accessed 'ia ashaft, are the richest source of Nazca artefacts and re'eal manyaspects of the culture. $ine pottery and tetiles were "uried withthe dead and with no particular distinction "etween male andfemale "urials. The deceased is mummi&ed, carefully wrapped intetiles and usually placed in a seated position, sulls sometimesdisplay deli"erate elongation, and we now the Nazca woretattoos. Tom"s, especially shaft ones lined with mud "rics, could"e re!opened and more mummies added, perhaps indicatingancestor worship. Caches of trophy!heads often accompany themummy, many showing signs of trephination which allowedse'eral to "e strung on a single cord as illustrated in potterydesigns. Trophy!heads are also fre


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were reached "y impressi'e descending spiral ramps and linedwith ri'er co""les.

A!"A!I

$ounded c. 155 CE, Cahuachi, on the south "an of the Nazca-i'er, 85 m inland, was a site of pilgrimage and the Nazcareligious capital. 2t was pro"a"ly &rst considered sacred "ecause itwas one of the few locations with a guaranteed year!round watersupply. The lac of domestic architecture indicates it was not usedas a place of ha"itation.

The sacred site co'ers 11.8 s,471 acres+ andhas around 75 large ado"e mounds which tae ad'antage ofnatural hills. The largest mound, nown as the %reat Temple, iso'er >5 metres high. 0ll of the mounds ha'e an adAoining plazaand are topped "y ado"e walls. The largest plaza measure 7 8 metres. 0 low wall, 75 cm high, surrounded the main sacredprecinct. #osts and postholes across the site suggest canopiesprotected worshippers from the sun. Tetile scenes also suggestthat religious gatherings were connected to har'est festi'als, andpiles of ru""ish consisting mostly of pottery shards at the siteindicate ritual feasting. This ru""ish was deli"erately left so that it"ecame a part of the mound. Conse


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eing who is represented in art as a 3ying deity &gure wearingstrings of trophy!heads. Fe is fre


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although the practice of decapitation remained a popular one inthis period (De/eonardis, >555+. /ate Nazca iconography suggeststhat the prestige of the leaders of /ate Nazca society wasenhanced "y successful headhunting (rowne, Sil'erman, and

%arcia, >55K+.

NA%A &'TTE()

The Nazca ha'e achie'ed a reputation for great artistry and their

&nely wored pottery is an ecellent eample. Messels were thin!walled and could tae on a wide 'ariety of shapes. Distincti'eforms include the dou"le!spouted containers with a single handleand generally "ul"ous 'essels without a 3at "ottom or "ase.owls, "eaers, Aars, e[gy drums, and panpipes were alsocommon. There were also 'essels in the shape of human heads,


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no dou"t inspired "y the Nazca practice of taing trophy!headsfollowing "attles.

2n3uenced "y the earlier #aracas culture designs, Nazca pottery

'essels were decorated with a slip ("efore &ring+ to produce awide array of 'i'idly rendered patterns, gods, shamanic imagery,crustaceans, condors, moneys, and mythical transformationalcreatures, especially felines. The Nazca went on to create theirown uni


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N0YC0 TERT2/ES \ ET0/9O-

The Nazca were fond of not only wool wea'ing and em"roidery"ut also of painting plain cotton cloth with an array of colourful


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images and motifs. Tetiles ha'e sur'i'ed remara"ly well, thansto the etremely dry climate, and they illustrate that Nazcawea'ers possessed the full range of 0ndean techni


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*+Why did the Nazca ulture colla$se?

$rom 855] 0D, the ci'ilization started to decline and "y 85 0Dthe ci'ilization had fallen completely. This is thought to ha'eoccurred when an El Nio triggered widespread and destructi'e3ooding. E'idence also suggests that the Nazca people may ha'e

eacer"ated the e6ects of these 3oods "y gradually cutting down#rosopis pallida trees to mae room for maize and cottonagriculture. These trees play an etremely important role as theecological eystone of this landscape: in particular pre'entingri'er and wind erosion. %radual remo'al of trees would ha'eeposed the landscape to the e6ects of climate pertur"ations


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such as El Nio, leading to erosion and lea'ing irrigation systemshigh and dry (see eresford!Hones et al. >55G+.

4. What are Nazca lines and how were these discovered?

The hundreds of individual figures range in complexity from simple lines to stylized

hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks, orcas, and lizards.

The designs are shallow lines made in the ground by removing the reddish pebbles and

uncovering the whitish/grayish ground beneath. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric

shapes more than !" are zoomorphic designs of animals such as birds, fish, llamas,

#aguars, monkeys, or human figures. $ther designs include phytomorphic shapes such as

trees and flowers. The largest figures are over %"" m &''" ft( across. )cholars differ in

interpreting the purpose of the designs, but in general, they ascribe religious significance to

them.

*ue to its isolation and to the dry, windless, and stable climate of the plateau, the lines have

mostly been naturally preserved. +xtremely rare changes in weather may temporarily alter

the general designs. s of recent years, the lines are said to have been deteriorating due to

an influx of s-uatters inhabiting the lands

ontrary to the popular belief that the lines and figures can only be seen with the aid of

flight, they are visible from atop the surrounding foothills.01

The first mention of the 2azca 3ines in print was by 4edro ieza de 3e5n in his book of

6770, where he mistook them for trail markers.81 9nterest in them lapsed until the 4eruvian

archaeologist Toribio :e#ia ;esspe spotted them while he was hiking through the foothills in

6


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other celestial bodies rose. rchaeologists, historians, and mathematicians have all tried to

determine the purpose of the lines.

5.How were the lines and the figures made?

Determining how they were madehas been easier than figuring why they were made.

)cholars have theorized the 2azca people could have used simple tools and surveying

e-uipment to construct the lines. rchaeological surveys have found wooden stakes in the

ground at the end of some lines, which support this theory. $ne such stake was carbon?

dated and was the basis for establishing the age of the design complex. )cholar Coe 2ickell

of the >niversity of =entucky has reproduced the figures using tools and technology

available to the 2azca people. )cientific merican called his work Dremarkable in its

exactnessD when compared to the actual lines. Eith careful planning and simple

technologies, a small team of people could recreate even the largest figures within days,without any aerial assistance.

$n the ground, most of the lines are formed by a shallow trench with a depth between 6"

and 67 cm &8 and ' in(. )uch trenches were made by removing the reddish?brown iron

oxide?coated pebbles that cover the surface of the 2azca *esert. Ehen this gravel is

removed, the light?colored clay earth which is exposed in the bottom of the trench produces

lines which contrast sharply in color and tone with the surrounding land surface. This

sublayer contains high amounts of lime which, with the morning mist, hardens to form a

protective layer that shields the lines from winds, thereby preventing erosion.

The 2azca DdrewD several hundred simple but huge curvilinear animal and human figures

by this techni-ue. 9n total, the earthwork pro#ect is huge and complexB the area

encompassing the lines is nearly 7"" km% &6


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years. The team has been doing field work there since %""' when it found about 6"" new

geoglyphs.

'. The lady of the lines

9n the year 6niversity,

came to 2azca, his specialty was ancient irrigation systems, which he had studied in the

north of 4eru that year. 9nterested in investigating the newly discovered area, that some had

speculated were ancient irrigation canals, =osok ventured to the 2azca 4ampa. >pon close

examination he concluded that the ground surface was much too superficial to have carried

water, but during his research something else soon became apparent, the first 2azca

DfiguresD including a bird, were revealed.

=osak went on to locate an area where straight lines created a star?like array, then -uite by

accident something more dazzling was revealed, the first solstice alignment which he

photographed by chance on the %6st of Cune, the winter )olstice in the southern

hemisphere.

s his tenure in 4eru had expired and unable to follow up on the discovery, he asked a

young research assistant, :aria @eiche, whoId, been living in 4eru for eight years at the

time, to continue the research. This she agreed to do. D


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9n 6


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L9 began my research in 6nderneath the soil is still whitish, not brown,

comprised of a mixture of rock that had been split into small fragments due to extreme

temperatures, and clay, which ultimately was blown away by strong winds coming down

from the ndes. The huge basin was filled with this mixture creating this flat surface we call

the 4ampa. This is why we only have these small pebbles on the surface.

There are extremely strong winds here, even sandstorms, but the sand never deposits over

the drawings. $n the contrary, the wind has a cleansing effect taking away all the loose

material. This way the drawings were preserved for thousands of years. 9t is also one of the

driest places on earth, drier then the )ahara. 9t rains only half an hour every two yearsK 2ow

all this has changed due to air pollution. Huge masses of dust and sand blow in from a large

iron mine southwest of 2asca and fill the entire region with contamination, this produces

precipitation, not enough for agriculture, but enough to endanger the figures.


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The figures, the drawings, are very superficial furrows never more then 0" cm in depth, and

very shallow. Jor this reason the wind has obscured them by filling them with small dark

pebbles from the surrounding surface like grain, making them difficult to detect from the air.

To make them more accessible for viewing 9 cleaned them with a broom, one broom after

another throughout the years. 9 went through so many brooms rumors circulated that 9 might

be a witchK

9 presented the 4eruvian ir force with charts of the figures of the 4ampa, and this began a

wonderful cooperation between us resulting in many photographic flights.

The number of drawings on the 4ampa is immense. There are thousands of straight lines,

hundreds of triangles and -uadrangles, and dozens of figures. ll this spread over 7"

kilometers from north to south, and 7 to ! kilometers from the foot of the ndes toward the

sea. The biggest concentration of drawings is always found at the edges of the different

plains where the descent to the valleys begin because this is the nearest place to where the

people who made the drawings lived though they never lived among the drawings, nor

buried their dead there.


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$n the other hand there are some very isolated drawings in the midst of the desert. $thers

are on high mountain tops or behind mountain ridges where the people who drew them had

to travel for hours to get there. This is very strange and inexplicable. )omething else that isdifficult to explain is why they wanted to draw on such different scales.

There are figures only 8 meters long and others with a length of %"" to 0"" meters. The

same applies to geometric surfaces. There are some that are only a few meters long the

longest -uadrangle further north has a length of 6,'"" meters. The sizes come in several

categories. The next category begins with a line that is F"" meters long. ThatIs the length of

the lines next to the spider and heron. There is another one half that size, a little over 8""

meters. 9t is the -uadrangle next to the lizard.

9tIs evident that not only directions of the geometric drawings may be of importance, but also

their dimensions. The length of the straight lines also varies. 9 know two that are

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