Did a Series of Solar Eclipses Inspire the Nazca Lines?

TL;DR

This paper explores the hypothesis that the Nazca Lines were created as a response to solar eclipses, serving as a communication medium between ancient inhabitants and their gods, particularly around notable eclipse events.

Contribution

It proposes a novel hypothesis linking solar eclipses to the creation of the Nazca Lines, supported by historical eclipse data and cultural interpretation.

Findings

Multiple significant eclipses occurred near Nazca before the lines' creation.

The timing of the eclipses correlates with the construction of the geoglyphs.

The geoglyphs may have served as a ritualistic response to celestial events.

Abstract

The mysterious lines in the desert of Nazca in southern Peru received many attempts at an explanation. We discuss the possibility that their origin is based on solar eclipses which could have evoked some kind of "reaction" by the inhabitants. In the mid-4th century BCE, six very conspicuous events within 20 years occurred over that area. The climax was reached with the total eclipse of 11 March -357. In this paper we try to explain the geoglyphs as a medium of communication of the ancients with their gods.