9000 year old runway/landing strip

My friend recently told me about a 9000 year old runway that has been discovered. Can anyone else help me out and provide more information

You mean the Nazca Lines? Do a forum and google search on Nazca, you'll get a lot of results.

so are those actually air strips?

Originally posted by drex4ever
so are those actually air strips?

well; actually their purpose is a mystery

No one alive today knows exactly what the nazca lines were "used for" or "Meant to be"

we hardly know anything about the civilization that built them; if anything conclusive at all

its one of those "history's mysterys" that we "post-modern" humans try very hard to figure out ; yet it remains a mystery to this day

if you look into it a bit deeper; the explanations floating around are that it was just "art" or that it was the roadway of an ancient city; or it could have been a landing strip like suggested above

problem is ; we just dont know

btw check out the other nazca stuff its awesome
incredible drawings of figures
the weirdest thing is; you cant really tell the lines exist until you view it from above

now on history channel or discovery; they had a special about the nazca anomolys
these researchers actually had a theory that the Nazca people were capable of building a hot air balloon with the resources they had available at the time

they actually aquired these resources; and built a working hot air balloon with it and flew it over the lines for a birds - eye view

very interesting stuff indeed

well worth looking into if you enjoy a good mystery

One explanation was that the lines mark underground streams.
Where the larger lines converge they think that’s where the wells where.
It makes sense that if crossing the plateau to trade that they followed the lines so they were never to far from water.
This was on Nat Geo or Discovery can’t remember which.
It’s a nice theory but I like to think there’s a more exotic reason behind them, because it doesn’t explain what the images of the spider and monkey etc. were for.

Originally posted by spartan433
My friend recently told me about a 9000 year old runway that has been discovered. Can anyone else help me out and provide more information

Someone's been reading Von Daniken. His "Chariots of the Gods" was the first to make that claim -- without any foundation for his claim, by the way. It was one of many other facts that he made up (incuding using old photos of a Chinese couple to claim that they were descendants of a starfaring race.)

The Nazca lines aren't runways, nor would they ever have been useful for runways. Aircraft have to land at certain angles to the wind (otherwise landing is more difficult and dangerous, if not impossible.) There is no point in landing and running your aircraft around in a pattern that makes a monkey with a long tail, or a condor with wings outspread or other images that appear at Nazca.

Nor are they likely to be signaling markers. None of our aircraft locate cities visually (too inefficient and too subject to weird weather) and there's no reason to think that a race capable of coming here from the stars (or an "ancient civilization with technology surpasing ours today") would use anything other than a signaling beacon.

And they'd land in cities and beside cities. When we want to go to Los Angeles, we land in Los Angeles or Orange County or a surrounding metroplex airport. We don't land out in the middle of the Mojave desert and then truck our way into LA.

((g) Thanks, YeahRight for reminding my crotchety and forgetful braincells that CotG was by Von Daniken and not Velikovsky. Aiee! )

[edit on 4-11-2005 by Byrd]

Originally posted by Byrd
Someone's been reading Immanuel Velikovsky. His "Chariots of the Gods" was the first to make that claim -- without any foundation for his claim, by the way.

Righto! Except that Erich Von Daniken wrote Chariots of the Gods. Vilikovsky's major "work" was called Worlds in Collision.

I think the latter influenced the former, though.

BTW, I also saw the show suggesting the Nazca lines were used to mark underground rivers and streams. Not too far fetched, given the modern use of surviving ancient underground aqueduct systems in the area.

Also, the suggestion was that the more picturesque of the lines (you know, the monkey, bird, spider, man, etc., as opposed to the straight, boring lines) were actually the names of the water sources. Much like we'd call the Mississippi River, well, the Mississippi River.

I used to think they were alien teenagers who stole their parents ships tagging the earth with their graffiti.

Originally posted by Hamburglar

Originally posted by Byrd
Someone's been reading Immanuel Velikovsky. His "Chariots of the Gods" was the first to make that claim -- without any foundation for his claim, by the way.

Righto! Except that Erich Von Daniken wrote Chariots of the Gods. Vilikovsky's major "work" was called Worlds in Collision.

So I've been reminded! Thanks for the correction!

I think the latter influenced the former, though.

I believe you're correct, and it matches what I remember of what came out when.

BTW, I also saw the show suggesting the Nazca lines were used to mark underground rivers and streams. Not too far fetched, given the modern use of surviving ancient underground aqueduct systems in the area.

Also, the suggestion was that the more picturesque of the lines (you know, the monkey, bird, spider, man, etc., as opposed to the straight, boring lines) were actually the names of the water sources. Much like we'd call the Mississippi River, well, the Mississippi River.

I didn't see the show, but I've read some things about that theory, and that particular one does seem to have some backing in academic circles. It certainly seems plausible.

Originally posted by Byrd
The Nazca lines aren't runways, nor would they ever have been useful for runways. Aircraft have to land at certain angles to the wind (otherwise landing is more difficult and dangerous, if not impossible.)

i'm not agreeing that the lines are runways, but not all of them are circular designs, as you seem to indicate. some of them are long straight paths that could very well have been used as runways.

it is preferable for aircraft to land into the wind, but the wind is rarely straight down the runway. usually it moves around to different angles of the runway, called "crosswind." depending upon how strong the wind is, controllers may need to move the arrivals and departures from one end of the runway to the other. the runways dont move (except in the navy..lol), the aircraft operations move to better align with the wind.

furthermore, landing with a tailwind is not impossible for most aircraft, just quite a bit harder. it has more to do with how much runway you have ahead of you to stop the aircraft or get it off the ground than the tailwind component itself. i have seen many, many aircraft land with a tailwind, and have done so myself several times in small aircraft.

And they'd land in cities and beside cities. When we want to go to Los Angeles, we land in Los Angeles or Orange County or a surrounding metroplex airport. We don't land out in the middle of the Mojave desert and then truck our way into LA.

first of all, how do we know for a fact that there were no cities in the surrounding area? for all of our progress, we still know very little about the ancient world.

second, not all major airports are in the city. some, such as memphis intl, or jacksonville intl, or dulles intl, are well outside of cities. living near dulles, i can tell you it is a 30 minute cab ride into DC from that major international airport.

Hrmmm...personally, I think it is far more plausible that these lines were ment to be viewed as artwork from primitive hotair balloons, rather than be used as a landing strip for a technology we would very likely have evidence for if it infact existed.

That said, the hotair balloon theory is more exotic than most theories that researchers are taking seriously. The truth is, we simply don't know what they were used for. My personal opinion is that the purpose of the lines to the Nazca inidians that created them, was most likely simple, and obvious. But regardless of what that purpose was, we do know enough about the Nazca indians to be fairly certain they did not possess the technology that would necessitate landing strips.

Also, I've never heard of the lines being so ancient... I thought it was generally believed that carbon dating on the lichen remains on the stones revealed that they were most likely removed from the ground (to form the lines) at around 190BCE - 600CE? There is no evidence of a civilization existing there prior to the Nazca indians, and these people created pottery with similiar designs as is seen on the desert. It seems that all evidence points the lines being created no earlier than 2190 years ago, and more likely at around 500CE.

Does anyone know of any evidence that suggests 9000 year old Nazca Lines?




[edit on 4-11-2005 by Olo]

I'm probably the last one to notice this, but while doing an image search I started to observe that many of the fingers have 4 figures on one hand, and 5 on the other...







I wonder if there is any signifigance to this?

[edit on 4-11-2005 by Olo]

Originally posted by Olo
I'm probably the last one to notice this, but while doing an image search I started to observe that many of the fingers have 4 figures on one hand, and 5 on the other...

I wonder if there is any signifigance to this?

Indeed, others have noted this peculiarity and wondered at its significance. At first, it is relatively easy to dismiss such oddities as errors on the part of a primitive people. However, it is very likely that the Nazca culture were far from primitive. It is also likely that the Lines held some sense of significance to them, given their intricate design and grand scale. Certainly if they were planned out beforehand (which I have to believe they were) these deformities may have been more than simple mistakes. They may indeed possess some form of significance. However, lacking significant references to the Nazca people, we are forced to speculate as to what that significance may be.

I have previously posited that the Nazca Lines represent an intricate story, told on a grand scale on the Nazca plain. I theorised that this story may have been preserved in tangible form to mark the location of significant water sources and landmarks of spiritual importance, in a manner similar to that employed by the Australian Aborigines. You can read my thoughts on this matter here if you are interested (scroll down halfway).

It is, however, doubtful that the Nazca Lines were used as any type of runway. This is due to the fact that the Lines themselves were created by simply removing the small rocks and pebbles that litter the plain to reveal the lighter topsoil underneath. If any type of aircraft were utilising the Lines as landing strips, it is very probable that the Lines would have been destroyed very quickly and certainly would not have lasted as long as they have.

[edit on 5/11/05 by Jeremiah25]

Jerermiah, you seem to be quite knowleadgle about the lines...what would you estimate is the age that they were created? I had always thought it was around 500CE, but the title of this thread threw me off, and I was curious if there is any evidence that points to a 9000 year old civilization on the Nazca desert...

well obviously they wouldn't land on the monkey of dragonfly or....etc.....etc. The possiblities of landing on the other lines which are staright is a little more believable and i stress little.

If there were airplanes 9000 years ago where did they go? You have to got realize that a civilization doesn't invent something out of thin air with a supporting infrarstructure like electricity, steel mills, cars, and asphalt.

Originally posted by scienceguy94
If there were airplanes 9000 years ago where did they go? You have to got realize that a civilization doesn't invent something out of thin air with a supporting infrarstructure like electricity, steel mills, cars, and asphalt.

and you should realize that if there were a civilization 9000 years ago that was as advanced as ours, they werent necessarily advanced in the same ways. just because we have chosen to use fossil fuels doesnt mean they didnt do it with solar or fission power, or even some other power source as of yet alien to us. as for the evidence, any number of ELEs (extinction level events) could have happened...nuclear blasts, comets, etc.

again, i'm not saying that its probable, only that its possible.

But to develop fusion technologies requires substantial infrastructure across the board. For instance to test how to fuse two h atoms together requires a particle accelerator this need electrical and magnetic technology which can't be developed without a huge source of power.
It is quite complicated but did you know that to build and develop an internal combustion engine needs the resources of a large city like chicago. You need to house and feed the workers who build design and test every component in a complicated aparatus. Most people here try to put the cart before the horse. If you find an ancient airplane buried here but you don't find ancient power stations, ancient dildoes, or even the most important ancient clocks. To build an airplane requires a slightly more accurate tame measuring device than a solar dial. you need to measure microseconds.

umm, the wright brothers built their own engine for the wright flyer in their shop.

and i used to watch my great-grandfather build working steam engines from scrap metal in his shop when i was a kid.

Originally posted by snafu7700
umm, the wright brothers built their own engine for the wright flyer in their shop.

and i used to watch my great-grandfather build working steam engines from scrap metal in his shop when i was a kid.

Who refined the aluminum, and refined the gasoline, developed the actual concept for the a working internal combustion engine. granted that thier design was ingenius. Obvously your grandfather didn't have a steel mill and mine maybe he was able to build a lathe, but desn't a lathe need a electric motor? and who built an electric motor. And how did he make the wire to build the electric motor. Doesn't it take a highly skilled team of engineers to build an electric motor.
I dont think that the posters here on ats seem to realize how many resources it takes to develop a particular advanced piece of technology.
even a steam engine takes considerable level of technology. one that is way beyond the means of the mayans and aztec.
You have to have to make steel, be able to melt and cast metal, build tight seals, know what the adiabatic efficiency is. knowldge builds on itself.

Point being
cavemen don't sh*t out intel pentium chips.