Ageoglyph is a large design ormotif – generally longer than 4 metres (13 ft) – produced on the ground bydurable elements of the landscape, such as stones, stone fragments, gravel, or earth. Apositive geoglyph is formed by the arrangement and alignment of materials on the ground in a manner akin topetroforms, while anegative geoglyph is formed by removing part of the natural ground surface to create differently coloured or textured ground in a manner akin topetroglyphs.
Geoglyphs are generally a type ofland art, and sometimesrock art. Ahill figure is created on a slope, so that it can be seen from a distance.
Arguably the most famous geoglyphs are theNazca lines inPeru. The cultural significance of these geoglyphs for their creators remains unclear, despite many hypotheses.[1]
Since the 1970s, numerous geoglyphs have been discovered on deforested land in theAmazon rainforest, Brazil, leading to claims aboutPre-Columbian civilizations.[2][3][4] Ondemar Dias is accredited with first discovering the geoglyphs in 1977 and Alceu Ranzi with furthering their discovery after flying overAcre.[5][6]
Other areas with geoglyphs includeMegaliths in the Urals,South Australia (Marree Man, which is not ancient, but rather a modern work of art, with mysterious origins),Western Australia and parts of theGreat Basin Desert in the southwestern United States.Hill figures,turf mazes and the stone-linedlabyrinths ofScandinavia,Iceland,Lappland and the former Soviet Union are types of geoglyphs.
The south of England has a number of equine and human figures cut intochalk hillsides. Examples include theUffington White Horse,Cerne Abbas Giant,Westbury White Horse, and theLong Man of Wilmington. Some are ancient, others from the last few centuries.
The "Works of the Old Men" inArabia, "stone-built structures that are far more numerous than (the) Nazca Lines, far more extensive in the area that they cover, and far older,"[7] have been described as geoglyphs by Amelia Sparavigna, a physics professor at Politecnico di Torino in Italy.[8] The use of this term to describe these features is probably inaccurate, as recent research has shown that most were not constructed primarily as art, but were rather built to serve a range of purposes including burial sites and funerary customs, aiding in the trapping of migratory animals, and as cleared areas for camps, houses and animal enclosures.[9]
Not all geoglyphs are ancient. TheLand Art movement created many new geoglyphs as well as other structures; perhaps the most famous example isSpiral Jetty byRobert Smithson. Many towns and cities in theWestern United States usehillside letters (also known as "mountain monograms") on the hills above their locations. Contemporary AustraliansculptorAndrew Rogers has created geoglyphs around the world called "The Rhythms of Life".You Yangs Regional Park is the home of a geoglyph constructed by Rogers in recognition of the indigenous people of the area. It depictsBunjil, a mythical creature in the culture of the localWautharongAboriginal people.[10]
Geoglyphic texts and images are common in Central andInner Asia but there has been little systematic study of their origins and spread.
More recent figures in the south of England created since the early 1800s have kept up the region's ancient tradition ofchalk hillside figures. Examples of these are theLitlington White Horse,Devizes White Horse,Fovant Badges,Cherhill White Horse, and theMarlborough White Horse.
In 2008–2009Alfie Dennen createdBritglyph, alocative art-focused geoglyph created by having participants across the United Kingdom leave rocks at highly specific locations and uploading media created at each location. When taken together and viewed on the main project website an image of a watch and chain inspired byJohn Harrison'smarine chronometer H5 was created.[11]
People have used theStrava mobile app and otherGPS systems to createGPS drawings, virtual geoglyphs.
| Humanoid |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Horses | ||
| Other | ||
| Related art | ||
