Truck Runs Over Ancient Peruvian Archaeological Site, Ignores Warning Signs

Peru's Nazca Lines, an ancient archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage site, were damaged after a driver plowed a cargo truck through the sand, officials announced on Tuesday. 

The driver left "deep prints in an area approximately 100 meters long," and damaged part of three geoglyph lines, according to a statement given to Agence France-Presse. 

He ignored warning signs that tell drivers not to enter the area, and drove over the lines on January 27, AFP reported. The man was detained and had charges filed against him. 

The lines, about 200 miles southeast of Lima, depict animals, plants and other figures in the Peruvian desert. They are estimated to have been created between 500 BC and 500 AD. Their purpose is unclear, but what mystifies archaeologists is their size––they can only be seen in their entirety from the sky. They span about 500 square miles.

They were discovered relatively recently, around 100 years ago, and some researchers think they were made for religious purposes, while others believe they were made to represent constellations. 

Because the area is protected and a UNESCO World Heritage site, it's a restricted area. Some of the images featured in it are animals and insects, including a spider, a monkey, a hummingbird. 

There are over 800 straight lines and hundreds of other figures. 

The site is considered a Peruvian treasure, and scientists are still learning from it today. In 2017, researchers confirmed that an image they uncovered in 2013 was an enormous depiction of a killer whale––potentially the oldest image ever found at the site. 

The Orca is roughly 200 feet long, and made researchers question why someone drew a sea mammal in the middle of the desert thousands of years ago. 

Deep traces over 100 meters
The vehicle entered this World Heritage Site despite the road signs denying access, "damaging the plain's surface, including three geoglyphs," said the Ministry of Culture."The truck has left deep marks about 100 meters," the statement said. The security guards at the site "arrested the offender and filed a complaint with the Peruvian police," the ministry added. He will be brought to justice.
Seventy animals seen from the skyThe lines of Nazca, discovered a little more than half a century ago in the south of the country, are geometric figures representing 70 animals and plants, visible only from the sky, which has fueled one of the greatest riddles of the planet.Publicity
According to archaeologists, these lines stretching over an area of ​​750 km2 had a ceremonial function for the Nazca civilization. Protected from erosion by the absence of rain and wind, they represent in particular a monkey of 135 meters wingspan, a spider (46 meters long), a hummingbird (66 meters from one wing to another) as well as a giant bird, 300 meters long and 54 meters wide.

Minehunter sent to escort Russian vessels shows Navy is desperately short – peer

HMS Cattistock was tasked with the escort of two Russian submarines and a support tug 

Tasking a minehunter with intercepting two Russian submarines and a support ship shows a “desperate shortage” of appropriate escort vessels, a former head of the Royal Navy has said.

Labour peer Admiral Lord West of Spithead also warned that the UK is moving into an “area of great danger” owing to a diminishing fleet size.

His comments came as the Sun newspaper first reported that Portsmouth-based HMS Cattistock was deployed to escort two Kilo-class Russian submarines and a Silva-class support tug through the English Channel last August.

Confirming the “glass-reinforced plastic” ship was tasked with the escort, a Royal Navy spokesman said it was the “most appropriate vessel for this particular task at that time”.

“There is always one Royal Navy ship that is designated as the Fleet Ready Escort (FRE), although there are always a number of Royal Navy units available in UK waters that could conduct this role depending on the tasking,” he added.

It is believed the two submarines and support ship were not operational at the time, were on delivery sailings, and that standby frigate HMS Westminster was busy undertaking another duty.

Pressed for his thoughts on the use of HMS Cattistock for the task, Lord West told the Press Association: “What it reflects is our desperate shortage of proper escorts.

“We were a great maritime nation, we still remain a maritime nation, but we are now moving into an area of great danger because we have such a lack of assets.”

He said the use of the minehunter will have prompted the Russians to think that the Royal Navy “haven’t got that much because they are having to do that”.

“I am not worried that the Russian submarines were about to do something horrible to us, it is just that messaging,” he added.

It is understood the Kremlin’s three vessels were first being watched by Nato units as they passed through the North Sea, before HMS Cattistock took over escort duties.

Lord West said historically a frigate or destroyer – of which the Royal Navy has a total of 19 – would have been called upon for the task.

With just one ship usually available for the FRE he said this highlights how cut-back the Royal Navy has become, and stressed that by 1945 during the last big fight for the North Atlantic, the UK had 1,500 frigates and destroyers.

It comes amid recent warnings from the Ministry of Defence of an “upsurge” in Vladimir Putin’s ships and vessels “transiting UK waters”.

Earlier this month frigate HMS Westminster was scrambled to intercept two of Vladimir Putin’s warships and two supporting vessels as they passed close to Britain.

HMS St Albans also spent Christmas Day escorting another Russian warship, the Admiral Gorshkov, through the North Sea.

Continuing the trend of growing concern towards Russia, Head of the Army General Sir Nick Carter used a speech last week to warn how the Kremlin boasts an “eye-watering” capability which Britain would struggle to match.

Churchill's chest of facts

Churchill's chest of facts!

With Gary Oldman recently winning the Best Actor Award for his portrayal of Iconic British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Golden Globes, this gallery sheds some insightful facts on Churchill’s life. Take a look at what made him the man he was!

Red Haired

During his time at Harrow School, Churchill was mocked for his red hair.

High Society

As the son of a lord, Churchill led a glamorous life in high society.

Brought up

As a kid, he was brought up by his nanny.

Boarding school

Both himself and his younger brother Jack were sent to boarding schools.

Habit

Churchill’s mother hated his cigar smoking habit.

Biography

Between 1903 and 1905, Churchill, wrote a two-volume biography on his father.

Teddy's name calling

Having read the two-volume biography on Churchill's father, US President Theodore Roosevelt, who knew both Churchill and his father, said they were both cheap and vulgar beings.

War Zone

Between 1895 and 1900 Churchill decided to get himself transferred into as many dangerous military zones as possible, as he wanted to write about his narrow escapes from the front line in the newspapers.

While working as a correspondent for a newspaper in 1899, Churchill had negotiated a salary that made him the highest-paid war correspondent.

Caught

The soldier who captured Churchill - Louis Botha - would later become the future Prime Minister of South Africa.

Escape

When he was captured in 1899, he was immediately taken to a prison camp. But he later escaped by scaling a wall during the night.

Accident Prone

While disembarking a ship in India, Churchill accidentally dislocated his shoulder.

Bricks

Bricklaying was one of his many interests.

Breeder

Churchill was a racehorse breeder.

Hunter

Churchill enjoyed fox hunting.

Polo

Polo was another one of his passions.

Exam Time

Churchill had to take the entrance exam at the Royal Military College three times before finally passing.

Bridge

His Military career was delayed after he fell off a bridge.

Booze

When setting out for the Boer War, Churchill took around 60 bottles of booze with him.

Charlie

Charlie the Curser was Churchill’s pet parrot.

Painter

Churchill enjoyed painting. Sotheby spokesperson, Sarah Thomas, said that Churchill found it to be a relief from all the pressures of his work.

Work of Art

He created almost 600 works of art during his lifetime.

The Gallipoli landings

During the first World War, Churchill’s tenure as First Lord of the Admiralty didn’t go too well, as his brainchild - the Gallipoli landings in the Dardanelles, failed miserably leaving a number of soldiers dead, wounded, missing or captured.

Haunting

The failed events in Gallipoli haunted Churchill for the rest of his life. So much as so that during the Second World War, he admitted to General Marshall (pictured left) that he could still see the sea full of corpses.

Female friends

Despite being refused by three different women upon on his marriage proposals, Churchill still remained friends with all of them.

Out!

In 1922, Churchill found himself out of parliament, having lost a seat.

Pig

Churchill loved pigs, even so much as saying that "Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, but pigs treat us as equals."

Return to politics

In 1924, Churchill made a return to politics – and was named Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Votes

While he was still a young politician, Churchill opposed votes for women.

Engagement

Less than a month after they announced their engagement, Churchill and Clementine Ogilvy Hozier got married.

Letters

Churchill's wife (pictured) would often send her husband affectionate letters, during long periods when he was away.

Pet Names

Both Churchill and his wife, had pet names for one another, she was 'Kat' and he was 'Pug'.

Kids

Together with his wife, Churchill had five children: Diana, Randolph, Sarah Tuchet-Jesson, Marigold and Mary Soames. Here he is pictured with Sarah and Mary.

Pilot

Fascinated by aerial combat, he started taking flying lessons.

Licence to fly

Churchill never gained his pilot's licence and after being hurt in a plane crash, his wife urged him to give up the hobby.

Cheers!

Champagne was Churchill’s favourite drink.

Connoisseur

He was an expert on fine brandy.

Smoking

It was claimed that the one person that Field Marshal Montgomery would allow to smoke in his presence was Churchill. Here is Churchill is pictured with a cigar in his mouth, greeting Montgomery.

Member

At the outbreak of WWII in 1939, Churchill was appointed as a member of the war cabinet.

Finest Hour

In the month that he took over as Prime Minister, morale was low, and many Brits thought that a victory against the Nazi’s would be impossible. Churchill delivered his first speech, titled 'This was their finest hour'.

Victory

Once the Second World War was over, Churchill said to a huge crowd gathered outside of Whitehall, "This is your victory".

Cradle

It has been alleged that Churchill once said Bolshevism must be "strangled in its cradle".

WWIII

In the final days of WWII, Churchill was already planning another attack, this time on the USSR. But the plan that could have started WWIII, was quickly rejected. (Pictured with Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin on the left).

Visit

Churchill's first visit to the White House was just before Christmas in 1941. Here he is pictured outside the White House.

Ghost

It is rumoured that during one of his stays at the Whitehouse Churchill saw Abraham Lincoln’s ghost.

Defeat

Churchill’s tenure as Prime Minister ended in 1945, when he was defeated by Labour leader Clement Attlee.

Older and weaker

In the 1951 general election, Churchill again became Prime Minister. However as he was much older, his health had worsened.

S

He had a speech impediment, struggling mostly with the ‘S’ sounds.

Health

Physician Lord Charles Moran (pictured) revealed in his book ‘The Struggle for Survival’, that Churchill, who was his patient, suffered from clinical depression.

Laurence of Arabia

Aside from being a good friend of his, British archaeologist T.E Lawrence also worked for Churchill in the 1921 Cairo Conference.

Chaplin

The iconic comedian Charlie Chaplin was another friend of Churchill's

Genius

Albert Einstein was one of his friends.

Holiday Friends

Churchill frequently went on holiday with Greek ship owner Aristotle Onassis, who was another good friend of his.

Gandhi

He was not a fan of Mahatma Gandhi.

Decline

Churchill declined the opportunity to become Duke of London, by Queen Elizabeth II (pictured left).

Monarchy

Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King Edward VIII, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, were all monarchs that Churchill had served under.

Script

While trying his hand at script writing, Churchill once wrote a screenplay for the cinema that depicted the major events in the reign of King George V.

Nobel Prize

Churchill received a Nobel Prize for literature award in 1953. The award made him the only British Prime Minister to have won it since its inception in 1901.

Honorary Citizen

US President John F. Kennedy, proclaimed Churchill as an Honorary Citizen of the United States in 1963.

Career

Churchill's political career lasted over 60 years.

Churchill's prediction

As he had predicted, Churchill died on the same day his father did.

Buried

He was buried in his family plot at St Martin's Church, Bladon, Oxfordshire.

Coins

He is the only politician to have been honoured twice on British coins.