Geoglyphs Nazca

A radical reinterpretation of large-scale geoglyphs, including those in Nazca (Peru), Turgai (Kazakhstan), and Qinghai (China), challenges traditional ritual-astronomical hypotheses. The study proposes the 'Industrial Drying and Sorting Model,' arguing that these sites functioned as open-air logistics hubs for mass dehydration of meat and biological resources, crucial for nomadic survival and mobility. Geoglyphs served as visual inventory markers in a pre-literate administrative system, with distinct figures representing different commodity sectors—avian figures for poultry, mammalian figures for livestock, and the spider figure for medicinal herbs and pharmaceuticals. Lines and trapezoids were not roads but logistical boundaries for sorting batches of goods. The model suggests trans-Eurasian technology transfer, with Kazakhstan adopting Chinese state-accounting methods to manage vast nomadic assets, while Nazca geoglyphs represent an adaptation in desert environments.

Yerzhan, O. (2026). Geoglyphs Nazca. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.18264714