Earlier we have already written about the mysterious giant geoglyphs (drawings on the ground) of Kazakhstan. Every year this phenomenon attracts more and more scientists. This time NASA specialists released their images of objects.
Satellite photographs of the provincial northern steppe have revealed colossal excavation - geometric shapes in the form of squares, crosses, lines and rings the size of several football fields, visible only from the air.
The largest geoglyph (the scientific name of such drawings) is located next to a settlement of the Neolithic era and is a giant square of 101 mounds, its opposite corners are connected by an oblique cross. The figure covers an area larger than the Great Pyramid of Cheops.
Another figure is a three-pointed swastika, at its ends are zigzag figures bent counterclockwise.
In total, in the Turgai region of Kazakhstan, there are at least 260 such geoglyphs, created from mounds, trenches and ramparts, presented in five basic forms.
Geoglyphs were first discovered in 2007 by the Kazakh economist and archeology enthusiast Dmitry Dey. Now NASA has finally released clear images of the figures.
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It is not yet possible to establish the exact age of the figures. Different research methods show different results. According to the "mainstream" point of view, the figures are 8,000 years old, but other data date them to 800 BC or even date back to the Middle Ages.
If we agree with the most ancient version of the origin, the Mahanjar Neolithic culture, which flourished in the region from 7000 to 5000 BC, may have been involved in the creation of the figures. e. However, scientists doubt this, since the culture was nomadic, and for the construction of such geoglyphs it was necessary to stay in one place for a long time.
The purpose of the figures is also not clear yet. Obviously, these are mainly solar symbols.
The discovery was an accident. In March 2007, Day watched Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs at his home on Discovery Channel. “There are pyramids all over the earth. They should also be in Kazakhstan,”he thought, and started searching with the help of Google Earth.
No pyramids were found. But about 200 miles to the south, he saw something intriguing - a gigantic square, the side of which was 287 m. The corners of the square were connected by dotted lines, forming an X.
At first, Day thought it might be the remnants of some kind of Soviet experimental setup from the virgin lands. But the next day, the researcher saw a second giant figure, this time swastika-shaped.
By the end of the year, Day found eight more squares, circles and crosses. By 2012, there were 19. Now, 260 geoglyphs are listed on his website.
It turned out that Kazakhstani archaeologists knew nothing about these figures. Indeed, they are so huge that they are almost impossible to see from the ground.
Excavations carried out in one of the mounds revealed nothing. But nearby were found artifacts of a Neolithic settlement from 6,000 to 10,000 years old, including spearheads.
“We will soon receive better quality geoglyph images, this task is included in the ISS crew's schedule,” Dey writes.
Scientists strive to ensure that geoglyphs are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Unfortunately, this has not happened yet. More recently, a road was laid through one of the figures, and the monument was partially destroyed. Day says this happened after officials were warned of the finds, writes The New York Times.