AI solves more than a century of research in six months on one of the greatest mysteries in the history of archaeology
It reveals hundreds of hidden geoglyphs in the Peruvian desert, doubling the number of findings.
In just six months, an international team from Yamagata University’s Nazca Institute, in collaboration with IBM, has solved one of the greatest mysteries of modern archaeology. Using artificial intelligence, they have identified 303 new geoglyphs in the arid coastal landscape of southern Peru, doubling the number of known Nazca Lines.
The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and confirmed by lead archaeologist Professor Masato Sakai, represents one of the most rapid and significant advances in the study of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Invisible for centuries
The new geoglyphs, created between 200 BC and 650 AD, depict felines, birds, fish, human figures, and geometric patterns measuring hundreds of meters across. For more than a century, the vastness of the desert and the limitations of traditional techniques had prevented their detection.
AI changed the game. Trained with thousands of aerial images, the technology was able to analyze terabytes of satellite and drone photographs, locating lines and shapes barely perceptible to the human eye. Each identified figure was subsequently confirmed on the ground by archaeologists, ensuring its authenticity.
Sacred routes and spiritual landscapes
New evidence suggests that many of these figures were part of ritual paths used in processions to connect with the gods and the environment. The orientation and precision of the designs reinforce previous theories by researchers such as Maria Reiche, who already argued that the lines formed a vast integrated ceremonial landscape.
The Nazca case is not isolated. Elsewhere in the world, AI is helping to discover burial mounds, map hidden settlements, and even locate shipwrecks. As Dr. João Fonte of ERA Arqueologia points out, this is a “leap in efficiency” that allows studies that used to take years to be completed in a matter of days.
However, experts warn that AI is a tool, not a replacement. Archaeologist Alexandra Karamitrou stresses that all digital findings must be verified in situ to avoid false positives.
Expanding
Each new geoglyph revealed in Nazca not only expands the catalog of one of the most enigmatic cultures of antiquity, but also offers a clearer view of their beliefs and rituals. With the support of AI, the Peruvian desert continues to reveal its secrets, and it does so at a pace that until recently seemed impossible.
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