geoglyphs
Large landscape art
Geoglyphs are large designs or motifs created on the ground, typically by arranging stones, clearing vegetation, or carving into earth.
The Nazca Lines in Peru—enormous figures of animals and geometric shapes visible only from the air—are the most famous examples.
Geoglyphs appear across cultures worldwide, from ancient earthworks to modern land art.
Peruvian archaeological culture
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
ancestral · civilizations · antiquity · megafauna · Paleolithic · rituals · Stonehenge · Serpent Mound
Constructed soil fortifications
- intagliosCarvings recessed into stone
- effigySculpted human representation
- moundsHeaps of earth
- topographyPhysical feature mapping
terrain · desert · plateau · hillside · gravel · clearing · land art · monumental
Strokes connecting two points
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- biomorphLife-imitating abstract shape
- drawingsImages rendered by hand
- earthworksConstructed soil fortifications
etching · stylized · figures · designs · motifs · iconography · abstraction · zoomorphic
Inherited cultural legacy
- anthropologyStudy of human cultures
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
symbolism · shamanism · tribal · folklore · ceremonial · cosmology · ancestors · pilgrimage
Something hard to fathom
- unexplainedNot yet clarified
- secretsConcealed information
- crypticObscure in meaning
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
unknown · perplexing · anomaly · ancient astronauts · purpose · alignment · hidden meaning · landing strips
Nazca
Peruvian archaeological culture
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
Neolithic · ancestral · civilizations · antiquity · megafauna · Paleolithic · rituals · Stonehenge · Serpent Mound · ceremonial
earthworks
Constructed soil fortifications
topography · terrain · desert · plateau · hillside · gravel · clearing · land art · monumental · gigantic
lines
Strokes connecting two points
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- biomorphLife-imitating abstract shape
- drawingsImages rendered by hand
earthworks · etching · stylized · figures · designs · motifs · iconography · abstraction · zoomorphic · anthropomorphic
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- anthropologyStudy of human cultures
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- indigenousOriginating in a region
mythology · symbolism · shamanism · tribal · folklore · ceremonial · cosmology · ancestors · pilgrimage · offerings
enigma
Something hard to fathom
- unexplainedNot yet clarified
- secretsConcealed information
- crypticObscure in meaning
riddle · unknown · perplexing · anomaly · ancient astronauts · purpose · alignment · hidden meaning · landing strips · unsolved
- Brazilian Prehistoryrock art, cave paintings, earthworks, black earth, rock shelters
- eco-artland art, earth art, nature art, earthworks, recycled art
- archaeologyexcavation, dig site, archaeologist, dig, archaeological digs
- ancient AmericasMachu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan, Tikal
- Andean RuinsMachu Picchu, Inca ruins, Inca Trail, Moray, sun temple
- British PrehistoryStonehenge, stone circles, henges, hill forts, burial mounds
geoglyphsminiatures
Tiny representations of larger things
engravings · intaglios · inscriptions · cameos · amulets
geoglyphspetroglyphs
Carvings on natural stone
rock carvings · stelae · wall carvings · standing stones · obelisks
geoglyphsice sculptures
Art carved from frozen water
crop circles · sky writing · body painting · performance art