Geoglyphs! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chile

About 119 meters in height, this humanoid geoglyph is probably the largest geoglyph of prehistoric times. It was likely laid out as an astronomical calendar which tracked the phases of the moon and seasons, thus helping farmers determine their crops and the harvests.

The Atacama Desert in Chile has been the site of several geoglyphs, the most impressive being the giant, though at least 500 more have been found. They were created by several South American cultures including the Inca and the Tiwanaku.

Answer: Chalk

The Uffington White Horse is a giant picture of a white horse carved into the Berkshire Downs hills of England about 16 km east of Swindon. It is white due to the fact that this geoglyph is carved into the chalk beneath it. It is assumed to be an Iron Age carving, and can be seen from the air, though also from across the Vale of White Horse to the north.

The Uffington White Horse is one of many white horse geoglyphs found in England; however, it predates all of them and it is a different style than the rest of them. It bears similarities to some Celtic art, though it is hard to say for sure when it was carved, or why. It requires regular cleaning to be seen effectively, and in the Second World War it was covered over to prevent German pilots from locating themselves.

Answer: Cactus

The Blythe Intaglios are a series of geoglyphs in the California part of the Colorado Desert near the border with Arizona. Found in 1932 by George Palmer, a pilot, the depictions of three humanoids, two four-legged animals and one spiral have been found. Though no native culture has claimed that their ancestors created these geoglyphs, several have claimed to have used them.

The geoglyphs were made by clearing out rocks from certain areas and stamping out the darker topsoil leaving lighter sand to highlight the negative spaces. The rocks outline the figures. The Blythe Intaglios along with nearby geoglyphs in the Colorado Desert are the only known North American geoglyphs.

Answer: A moose

The Russian Moose geoglyph is an ancient geoglyph, measuring between 4000 and 6000 years old to be judged by the stone-carving tools found in the immediate area. It shows an antlered animal with four legs and a long nose, presumably a moose or an elk.

It is presumed that children were involved in the building of this giant structure (about 275 meters in length) along with the adults. It was only detected in 2011 by using satellite images. In the past, this geoglyph had been more visible with the rocks being a light colour.

However, over time, the rocks gained a darker tone that blends in well with the flora.

Answer: He is naked

The Cerne Abbas Giant is a 55-meter-high depiction of a man holding a club, with facial features, ribs, and an erect penis. Often associated with fertility, the giant's origins and date are unknown but many theories exist. It was outlined by trenches cut into the hillside and then filled with white chalk.

The earliest mention of the hillside figure is in 1694, however, many believe it to be Celtic due to its similarity to another nude depiction from the first century BCE. Regardless, it's an iconic site and sight for the region.

Answer: Next to a volcano

The Sajama Lines are dug into the plains below the Sajama volcano, a now-extinct stratovolcano. The area of these geoglyphs is massive; it covers over 22,525 square kilometers of ground. These lines are, in fact, more extensive than the more famous Nazca lines.

Some lines were found that extend over 20 km. Modern day investigations were astounded by how straight the lines are despite terrain that is hilly and rugged. Thousands of lines have been discovered. Unlike the Nazca lines, these geoglyphs are just lines and not pictures.

Answer: Deforestation

In 1977, Ondemar Dias, a pilot noticed strange shapes in the land after flying over deforested lands that had previously been rainforest. Further investigation uncovered a series of 450 geoglyphs in the Acre province in Brazil. Most of these are geometric shapes, some of them with double walls. What's interesting about these geoglyphs is that there is no settlement that can be associated with the designs, and nobody really knows which civilization is the one responsible for these glyphs, or even how people got to and from the site! An impressive sight to see nonetheless.

Answer: Killing animals

So, the Works of the Old Men might not fit in precisely as glyphs, as they were not intended originally to be created as art; however, when rediscovered in the early 20th century, they certainly looked interesting from above. In fact, most of them are five to six thousand years old.

Appearing all across the Middle East, from Saudi Arabia as far as Sinai and up north to Syria, the Works of the Old Men were a way of funneling animals from a wide entrance to a narrow 'killing floor' where the killing of wild animals, likely the now-extinct Persian gazelle, occurred.

Answer: Paracas

The Candelabra of the Andes is also known as the Paracas Candelabra as it was built by the Paracas culture. Dating the pottery shards found around it estimates that the geoglyph was carved around 200 BCE. Its purpose, or even what it depicts, is the subject of many theories.

It is large enough to be seen from afar, about 19 kilometers out to sea. Perhaps it was a sign for sailors that they were nearing Paracas lands, or possibly representing the lightning rod of the god Viracocha, the Incan god of the sea. What we do know is that it's about 181 meters tall and etched about half a meter deep into the ground.

Answer: Nazca Lines

Long believed to be sketched by some alien travellers, the Nazca Lines are probably the best known of all the geoglyphs found across the world. Made between 500 BCE to 500 CE (though more towards the end of that period) in the Nazca desert, when originally rediscovered by Spanish conquistadors, they were thought to be trails.

Dug as trenches in the desert soil, most of these geoglyphs were very well-preserved. Though many theories exist as to their purpose, field division, astronomy, appeals to deities, irrigation, we don't really know why they were drawn in the ground. What we do know is that these are elegant and magnificent pieces of art as seen from the sky.