A research team led by Masato Sakai from Yamagata University in Japan, in collaboration with IBM Research, has successfully used artificial intelligence (AI) to discover 303 الجيوغليفية الجديدة في صحراء نازكا. This discovery nearly doubles the total number of known geoglyphs at the site as of October 2024.
The newly identified geoglyphs include depictions of various creatures such as parrots, cats, القرود, killer whales, and even severed heads. One notable figure is an orca holding a knife, which is consistent with some pottery from the Nazca period showing orcas with knives cutting off human heads.
خلفية
The Nazca Lines are a series of large-scale geoglyphs etched into the desert floor in southern Peru. These designs, created by the ancient Nazca civilization between 200 BCE and 700 CE, include various figures such as animals, النباتات, and human-like beings.
The purpose of these geoglyphs remains a subject of speculation, with theories suggesting they may have had religious, astronomical, or agricultural significance.
The discovery process
The research team developed an AI application capable of identifying geoglyphs from aerial pictures of the desert floor, no matter how faint. This method significantly sped up the identification process, allowing researchers to spot these elusive designs 20 times faster than traditional methods.
The AI model was trained using high-resolution aerial images of existing geoglyphs. It analyzed approximately 243 square miles of the Nazca region, identifying potential new geoglyphs that might not be visible to the naked eye. The model produced a probability map that allowed researchers to focus their fieldwork on promising locations.
After the AI suggested 303 potential geoglyphs, researchers spent over 2,600 hours validating these findings through on-site inspections and drone photography. Many of the newly discovered geoglyphs were faint, but the researchers could discern what they depicted, including human-like beings, domesticated animals, and abstract designs like a knife-wielding killer whale.
The AI model has already identified hundreds more potential geoglyph candidates that have yet to be examined. Researchers estimate that there could be as many as 250 additional geoglyphs awaiting discovery in the Nazca Desert. The team plans to continue using the AI app to search for more examples of the ancient art.
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