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Archaeologists have discovered over 50 new massive drawings – known as geoglyphs – in Peru's Nasca region using drones to map the area, potentially casting new light on their meaning.
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The discovery was announced Thursday by National Geographic in a report with exclusive images of the giant geoglyphs, which were carved more than a millennium ago.
Archaeologists believe many of the newly found figures were etched not by the Nasca culture which dominated the area between 200 and 700 A.D., but by earlier Paracas and Topara cultures extant between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D.
Peruvian Ministry of Culture Archaeologist Johny Isla said the discovery "means that it is a tradition of over 1,000 years that precedes the famous geoglyphs of the Nasca culture, which opens the door to new hypotheses about its function and meaning."
Unlike Nasca lines, which are only visible from above, many of the newly discovered images were drawn on hillsides, making them visible to villages. Furthermore, the new lines often depict human figures and warriors, National Geographic reports.
Mapping was partly financed by National Geographic explorer Sarah Parcak as part of a project to identify cases of looting.
At first, the team led by Peruvian archaeologists isla and Luis Castillo only found signs of decades-old looting linked to illegal gold mining, but closer examination of the high-resolution images captured by drone successfully identified the ancient geoglyphs.
The team believes the discovery will contribute to efforts to fight land trafficking and illegal settlements that threaten Peru's cultural heritage.
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