The Nazca Lines are enormous geoglyphs drawn in the desert of southern Peru, made by the Nazca culture that flourished between about 200 BCE and 600 CE. They include straight lines, geometric shapes and figures of animals such as a hummingbird, a monkey and a spider, some hundreds of feet across. The designs were made by removing the dark, iron-stained stones from the surface to expose the lighter ground beneath, and the dry climate has preserved them. Their purpose is still debated, with explanations including ritual paths, astronomical alignments and links to water. The lines were studied extensively by the German-born mathematician Maria Reiche, and they were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
Before and after
- 203 BCEPo Valley Raid
- 203 BCEScipio defeats Hannibal at Zama
- from 202 BCE to 46 BCEKingdom of Numidia
- 3rd century BCEConstruction of Ajanta Caves
- 200 BCEOrigins of Nazca Lines
- from 200 BCE to 197 BCESecond Macedonian War
- 196 BCERosetta Stone
- from 192 BCE to 188 BCERoman–Seleucid War
- 190 BCEBirth of Hipparchus
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- from 8th century BCE to 3rd centuryClassical antiquity
- from 351 BCE to 1494Construction of Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- from 323 BCE to 30 BCEHellenistic period
- 248 BCEConstruction of Terracotta Army
- from 375 CE to 568 CEMigration Period
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 2nd century BCE.