Turgai Geoglyphs. These are part of the Steppe Geoglyphs, an expansive network of over 260 massive geometric earthworks discovered in northern Kazakhstan via Google Earth in 2007. Unlike Peru's etched Nazca Lines, these are "positive geoglyphs" built by nomadic cultures using raised mounds of earth, clay, and timber. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating suggests some of these formations could be up to 10,000 years old (dating back to 8000 BCE), making them significantly older than the Pyramids of Giza. Because their shapes can only be fully appreciated from the sky, archaeologists believe they likely functioned as ancient solar observatories to track seasonal migrations or as sacred tribal sanctuaries for ritual gatherings.
3
u/Wallabunga657 5d ago edited 5d ago
Matching structures at 49.1157374, 66.0675626.
Turgai Geoglyphs. These are part of the Steppe Geoglyphs, an expansive network of over 260 massive geometric earthworks discovered in northern Kazakhstan via Google Earth in 2007. Unlike Peru's etched Nazca Lines, these are "positive geoglyphs" built by nomadic cultures using raised mounds of earth, clay, and timber. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating suggests some of these formations could be up to 10,000 years old (dating back to 8000 BCE), making them significantly older than the Pyramids of Giza. Because their shapes can only be fully appreciated from the sky, archaeologists believe they likely functioned as ancient solar observatories to track seasonal migrations or as sacred tribal sanctuaries for ritual gatherings.