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Archaeologists use AI to discover 303 unknown geolyphs near Nazca Lines
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/26/nazca-lines-peru-new-geoglyphsArchaeologists use AI to discover 303 unknown geolyphs near Nazca Lines
Newly discovered figures dating back to 200BCE nearly double the number of known geoglyphs at enigmatic site
Dan Collyns in Lima
Thu 26 Sep 2024 11.11 EDT
Archaeologists using artificial intelligence (AI) have discovered hundreds of new geoglyphs depicting parrots, cats, monkeys, killer whales and even decapitated heads near the Nazca Lines in Peru, in a find that nearly doubles the number of known figures at the enigmatic 2,000-year-old archaeological site.
A team from the Japanese University of Yamagata’s Nazca Institute, in collaboration with IBM Research, discovered 303 previously unknown geoglyphs of humans and animals – all smaller in size than the vast geometric patterns that date from AD200-700 and stretch across more than 400 sq km of the Nazca plateau.
The new figures, which date back to 200BC, provide a new understanding of the transition from the Paracas culture to the Nazcas, who later created the iconic hummingbird, monkey and whale figures that make up part of the Unesco World Heritage site, Peru’s most popular tourist attraction after Machu Picchu.
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