SAVING SITES: ONE LOOTING STEP AT A TIME
UTILIZING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) AND GOOGLE EARTH
TO ANALYZE LOOTING PATTERNS OF NASCA SITES
To be able to preserve looted sites, one must identify the patterns and develop prevention strategies to avoid further looting. The illegal antiquities trade has had its’ roots in the archaeological field since the beginning of time. One of the reasons why looting happens is because of the collectors’ widespread interest in the rich, cultural materials that are found at cultural heritage sites. Therefore, preservation of looted sites is critical in archaeology. The dire threat of looted artifacts exists in cultural heritage sites, especially in countries that have few-to-little resources to develop and implement prevention strategies.
Therefore, utilizing modern technology is an important and effective method of understanding the deep implications of looting, specifically in Nasca. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and satellite imagery from Google Earth can provide a method for analyzing looted pits in Nasca, Peru, and to develop a tracking method to identify the range of looting over the years. The approach aims to lower the cost of prevention strategies and to implement an adequate prevention of already looted pits, which in turn can be used to hamper any further looting.
Nasca Double-Spout pottery
Time Period Culture Date
Late Horizon Inca 1476 – 1532 C.E.
Late Intermediate Tiza 1000 – 1476 C.E.
Middle Horizon Wari, Loro 650 – 1000 C.E.
Early Intermediate Nasca 1 C.E. – 650 C.E.
Early Horizon Paracas, Proto-Nasca 900 B.C.E. – 1 C.E.
Initial Hunters and Gatherers 1800 – 900 B.C.E.
Pre-Ceramic Hunters and Gatherers 3500 – 1800 B.C.E.
(Conlee 2015)
Shown here are one of the many polygons of looted archaeological sites in the Nasca, Aja, and Tierras Blancas regions.
The polygons' area measurements are then uploaded into ArcGIS. The program calculates data from the measurements and I determine and compare the results (below).
Total data of each patterns, 2002 vs. 2016:
- Time Period
- Site Type
- Side
- Elevation
Total data of each patterns,
2002 vs. 2002 and 2016 vs. 2016:
- Time Period
- Site Type
- Side
- Elevation