The Nazca Lines

GEORGE KOULOURIS
GEORGE KYRIOS
What Are The Nazca
Lines?
• The Nazca Lines are a group of
geoglyphs made in the soil of the
Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They
were created between 500 BCE and
500 CE by people making depressions
or shallow incisions in the desert
floor, removing pebbles and leaving
differently colored dirt exposed. The
individual figurative geoglyph designs
measure between 400 and 1,100
metres across. The combined length
of all the lines is more than 1,300 km
and the group covers an area of about
50 km2
Location
• They are
located between
the towns of Nazca
and Palpa ,
approximately
400 km south of
Lima, the capital of
Peru.
Different Nazca Lines Theories
• Paul Kosok Theory:

Paul Kosok affirmed that the

Nazca lines were calendrical and
astronomical signs according to
his studies of the Sun’s location
and the Winter solstice, calling
the entire complex "The largest
scale calendar in the world".
 Erich Von
Daniken Theory
•  Swiss archaeologist
Erich von Daniken
was the first
who concluded that
the drawings were
made by aliens who
used the lines as
landing strips

The Spider
 Maria Reiche
theory
Acording to German archaeologist
Maria Reiche the lines were a kind of
astronomical observatory. Where
the countless lines that crossed the
desert were used to observe the
movements of the Sun and the
Moon. The different geoglyphs
formed a kind of map where to
observe different celestial events, as
well as predicting the change of
seasons that helped them with their
agriculture. Maria Reiche also
believed that some shapes correlated
with different constellations.
 

The Tree
 Johan
Reinhard Theory

• American archaeologist Johan

Reinhard claimed that the
lines are related to some kind
of ritual practice for the
worship of water. Being the
Nazca culture in a desert, it is
not difficult to think of water
as a precious and necessary
commodity.

• The Hummingbird
Donald Proux Theory
• Archaeologist Donald Proulx and
hydrogeologist Stephen Mabee  claimed
that the lines pointed to different
supplies and sources of groundwater.
Also, this theory is reinforced with the
so-called “Puquios” very close to the
lines. These were sophisticated hydraulic
systems built to recover water from the
different underground aquifers.

One Of The Puquios

Today, no theory is accepted as fact in itself.
But if it is concluded that the Nazca lines
perhaps were multifunctional. Some areas
could be related to agriculture, others to
water, others to sky observation, and so on.
The Condor
 The
Whale
The Giant
The Pelican
The Dog
 The
Monkey
The Heron
The Parrot
The Lizard
The Spiral
The Flower
The Hands
The Phytomorphic
 Glyphs 
The God Figures
The Cat