Researchers Find Ancient Geoglyphs in Peru that Predate Nazca Lines

Archaeologists have discovered lines in Peru that are older than the ancient Nazca lines. The research team believes that the site was used to organize trade fairs and festivals.

The discovery was made by Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles. The team found that the line drawings were made by people of the Paracas, who lived around 800 BC.

The Nazca lines are huge geoglyphs located in a dry coastal region of Peru. Thousands of drawings of birds and animals are scratched on the desert ground. The sketches are old; dating between 200 BC and 500 AD. The lines get their name from the Nazca people that lived in the region. Nazcas were master engineers and at least one theory suggests that the lines were associated with an early irrigation system.

Over 2000 years ago, the Paracas lines acted as signpost or neon billboards pointing at a trade event or a site of festivities during winter solstice, researchers said.

"If you want people to come to your trade fair, you have to point the way. These lines point straight to the ceremonial mounds on the coast where people could trade," Charles Stanish of the University of California, Los Angeles, told National Geographic.

"They used the lines in a different way than the Nazca," Stanish told LiveScience. "They basically created these areas of highly ritualized processions and activities that were not settled permanently."

The Ancient Drawings

The team found the lines in the Chinca Valley, which is located some 125 miles south of Lima in Peru, Live science reported. The region is known to be home to several ancient civilizations from 800 B.C. to the 1500s A.D.

Researchers also found three mounds in the region that probably acted as a site for trade fairs during the winter solstice.

GPS mapping along with site excavation showed that the lines could guide travelers coming from the Andes highlands. The sketches seem to be scattered when viewed from one angle, but point at a specific mound when viewed from another.

Since different geoglyphs point toward different mounds, researchers believe that each site was used by a particular ethnic group. People drew the geoglyphs to attract a certain set of merchants to their trade fair, Science mag reported.

The mounds weren't just for trade but were also connected with festivities, especially during solstice. "When you stand behind the mounds and you're facing the sunset-and we were there for the solstice-the sun sets right on the mound. And if you're a human being standing there, the sun melts right on your head. It's pretty impressive," Stanish told Sciencemag.

The study is published in the journal.