Who drew a swastika on the steppe 8,000 years ago? NASA images reveal riddle of giant drawings that can only be seen from the air

  • The patterns are large works of art made by etching shapes into the Earth or arranging objects like stones
  • The geoglyphs range in size from 300 to 1300ft (90 to 400 metres), but who built them and why is a mystery
  • They were seen on Google Earth by Kostanay University in Kazakhstan and Vilnius University in Lithuania
  • Scientists believe the strange structures may have been used to perform ancient rituals or to track the sun

By Ellie Zolfagharifard For Dailymail.com

Published: 13:40 EST, 30 October 2015 | Updated: 15:13 EST, 30 October 2015

Space imagery has revealed more than 260 shapes - including a swastika and cross - etched into a barren northern steppe of Kazakhstan.

These mystery patterns are believed to be at least 8,000 years old and range in size from 300 to 1300ft (90 to 400 metres).

Known as geoglyphs, researchers believe they could reveal details about ancient rituals in the area, but so far, progress in trying to decipher the shapes has been slow.

Now Nasa has released clear satellites photographs of some of the shapes from 430 miles (692 km) above Earth's surface in the hopes of speeding up the effort. 

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Pictured is the swastika symbol seen from space in Turgai, Khazakstan. While the symbol may now be associated with Nazis, it was in fact an ancient symbol used for more than 12,000 years to depict prosperity and power. The earliest known object with swastika-motifs is a bird made from mammoth tusk from the paleolithic settlement of Mezine, Ukraine dated to 10,000 BCE

Pictured is the swastika symbol seen from space in Turgai, Khazakstan. While the symbol may now be associated with Nazis, it was in fact an ancient symbol used for more than 12,000 years to depict prosperity and power. The earliest known object with swastika-motifs is a bird made from mammoth tusk from the paleolithic settlement of Mezine, Ukraine dated to 10,000 BCE

The earthworks, in Turgai, Kazakhstan, were first spotted in Google Earth in 2007 by Kazakh economist, Dmitriy Dey, according to an in-depth report in the New York Times.  

They are created from mounds of dirt only three feet high and roughly 30 feet wide (0.9 metres high and 9 metres wide). 

'I don't think they were meant to be seen from the air,' Dey told the paper, dismissing radical theories that they were created by aliens or Nazis.

He believes that the some of the figures were built along straight lines were used as 'horizontal observatories to track the movements of the rising sun' in a similar way to Stonehenge.

One of the biggest of these structures is a square of 101 raised mounds, with its corners connected by a diagonal cross.

Another structure appeared to be a swastika. While the symbol may now be associated with Nazis, it was in fact an ancient symbol used for more than 3,000 years to depict prosperity and power.

The Bestamskoe Ring is among the so-called Steppe Geoglyphs in Kazakhstan. Nasa's involvement in studying these figure could spur more research in this area, and finally uncover the true meaning behind these unusual shapes 

The Bestamskoe Ring is among the so-called Steppe Geoglyphs in Kazakhstan. Nasa's involvement in studying these figure could spur more research in this area, and finally uncover the true meaning behind these unusual shapes 

The Ashsutastinsky cross is seen here. The shapes were first spotted in Google Earth in 2007 by Kazakh economist, Dmitriy Dey. They are created from mounds of dirt only three feet high and roughly 30 feet wide (0.9 metres high and 9 metres wide).

The Ashsutastinsky cross is seen here. The shapes were first spotted in Google Earth in 2007 by Kazakh economist, Dmitriy Dey. They are created from mounds of dirt only three feet high and roughly 30 feet wide (0.9 metres high and 9 metres wide).

The largest of these is a square of 101 raised mounds, with its corners connected by a diagonal cross. Dey believes that the some of the figures were built along straight lines were used as 'horizontal observatories to track the movements of the rising sun'

The largest of these is a square of 101 raised mounds, with its corners connected by a diagonal cross. Dey believes that the some of the figures were built along straight lines were used as 'horizontal observatories to track the movements of the rising sun'

For example, in Indo-European culture a swastika was a mark made on people to give them good luck. The word itself is derived from the Sanskrit 'svastika' and means 'good to be'. 

This isn't the oldest swastika symbol found. The earliest known object with swastika-motifs is a bird made from mammoth tusk from the paleolithic settlement of Mezine, Ukraine dated to 10,000 BCE.

After finding the geoglyphs on Google Earth, archaeologists from Kostanay University in Kazakhstan and Vilnius University in Lithuania have been using radar to better understand the structure.

The team excavated the sites and found remnants of ancient structures and fireplaces, suggesting the locations were used for rituals.

HISTORY OF THE SWASTIKA: RELIGIOUS SYMBOL WHOSE MEANING WAS PERVERTED BY NAZI EVIL

Many Hindus traditionally painted the swastika symbol over their doors during festivals in order to welcome the gods inside 

Many Hindus traditionally painted the swastika symbol over their doors during festivals in order to welcome the gods inside 

While the symbol may now be associated with Nazis, it was in fact an ancient symbol used for more than 12,000 years to depict prosperity and power.

The swastika is an ancient symbol whose history stretched back for millennia before its meaning was perverted by Nazi ideology.

It is used to represent luck in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and takes its name - meaning 'it is good' from the Sanskrit language in which the Hindu religious texts were written.

Many Hindus traditionally painted the swastika symbol over their doors during festivals in order to welcome the gods inside.

As well as Asian religions, the swastika has been a popular decorative motif in Greek, Roman, Celtic and Byzantine art, making it one of the most common symbols in human history.

However, in 1920 Adolf Hitler declared that the swastika - tilted 45 degrees - should be the official logo of his nascent Nazi Party.

When he came to power, he replaced the German flag with a swastika in a white circle on a red background, making the emblem a feared symbol of his murderous regime.

After the Second World War the Nazi swastika was outlawed in Germany, Poland, Hungary and Lithuania, although it is still permitted in a religious or scholarly context.

The earliest known object with swastika-motifs is a bird made from mammoth tusk from the paleolithic settlement of Mezine, Ukraine dated to 10,000 BCE. 

Most of the shapes were created by creating mounds in the earth, but the swastika was arranged using wood.

'As of today, we can only say one thing - the geoglyphs were built by ancient people. By whom and for what purpose, remains a mystery,' Kostanay archaeologists Irina Shevnina and Andrew Logvin told Owen Jarus at LiveScience. 

Nasa has this week asked the astronauts on the International Space Station to take more images of the region in the hopes of deciphering the geoglyphs. 

Dey and his team are also also looking into using drones to map the area. 

They may gain insights from geoglyphs elsewhere, including the most famous example in Peru's Nazca Lines.

Another view of the swastika.The swastika is an ancient symbol whose history stretched back for millennia before its meaning was perverted by Nazi ideology. It is used to represent luck in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and takes its name - meaning 'it is good' from the Sanskrit language in which the Hindu religious texts were written

Another view of the swastika.The swastika is an ancient symbol whose history stretched back for millennia before its meaning was perverted by Nazi ideology. It is used to represent luck in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and takes its name - meaning 'it is good' from the Sanskrit language in which the Hindu religious texts were written

'As of today, we can only say one thing - the geoglyphs were built by ancient people. By whom and for what purpose, remains a mystery,' Kostanay archaeologists Irina Shevnina and Andrew Logvin told Owen Jarus at LiveScience

'As of today, we can only say one thing - the geoglyphs were built by ancient people. By whom and for what purpose, remains a mystery,' Kostanay archaeologists Irina Shevnina and Andrew Logvin told Owen Jarus at LiveScience

Last year, the mysteries of the Nazca Lines intensified after gales and sandstorms revealed previously unseen ancient designs.

A pilot discovered a geoglyph of what appears to be a 196ft-long (60 metre) snake, as well as a type of camelid - such as a llama - above an unidentified bird.

These new lines join existing geoglyphs of a dog, hummingbird, condor and a monkey, thought to have been drawn by the ancient Nazca people between the first and sixth centuries.

Experts believe the Nazca used to dance along the lines of the geoglyphs when they prayed for rain - and many of the same images appear on Nazca pottery.

An animal-shaped stone structure that may predate Peru's Nazca Lines have also been discovered in Russia, near Lake Zjuratkul in the Ural Mountains, north of Kazakhstan.

As well as Peru's Nazca Lines and the strange shapes in Khazakstan, archaeologists have found thousands of wheel-shaped geoglyphs in the Middle East. 

The shapes – which include a swastika, circles, crosses (pictured) and squares - range in size from 300 to 1300ft (90 to 400 metres). After finding the geoglyphs on Google Earth, archaeologists from Kostanay University in Kazakhstan and Vilnius University in Lithuania, have been using radar to better understand the structure

The shapes – which include a swastika, circles, crosses (pictured) and squares - range in size from 300 to 1300ft (90 to 400 metres). After finding the geoglyphs on Google Earth, archaeologists from Kostanay University in Kazakhstan and Vilnius University in Lithuania, have been using radar to better understand the structure

The team excavated the sites and found remnants of ancient structures and fireplaces, suggesting the locations were for rituals. Most of the shapes, including the line pictured, were created by creating mounds in the earth, but the swastika was fashioned from wood

The team excavated the sites and found remnants of ancient structures and fireplaces, suggesting the locations were for rituals. Most of the shapes, including the line pictured, were created by creating mounds in the earth, but the swastika was fashioned from wood

The team isn't sure why exactly the geoglyphs were created, but they say it may have served to mark out territory. Geoglyphs can be found all over the world, with the most famous example is Peru's Nazca Lines

The team isn't sure why exactly the geoglyphs were created, but they say it may have served to mark out territory. As well as Peru's Nazca Lines and the strange shapes in Khazakstan, archaeologists have found thousands of wheel-shaped geoglyphs in the Middle East

An animal-shaped stone structure that may predate Peru's Nazca Lines was discovered in Russia, near Lake Zjuratkul in the Ural Mountains, north of Kazakhstan

An animal-shaped stone structure that may predate Peru's Nazca Lines was discovered in Russia, near Lake Zjuratkul in the Ural Mountains, north of Kazakhstan

The earthworks were found in Turgai, Kazakhstan. The plateua extends some 630 km north-south and 300 km east-west

The earthworks were found in Turgai, Kazakhstan. The plateua extends some 630 km north-south and 300 km east-west


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