The Ancients: Artifacts and Aircraft
Susan Kelly Archer

Abstract
Throughout literature and other art forms, certain themes appear repeatedly. The same might be said for engineering designs, specifically the design of aerospace vehicles. In 1996, Lumir Janku wrote about a set of artifacts, discovered in Peru and determined to be Pre-Columbian, that can be interpreted as models of deltawinged fliers. The design of the Peruvian artifacts has been interpreted in multiple ways by a variety of professionals. The delta wing was also incorporated into the design of civilian aircraft during the 20th Century. Modern delta-winged aircraft were used successfully in both military and civilian applications for more than 40 years. It is interesting to read about the possibility that this aeronautical design may have originated millennia earlier with a culture that did not leave written records to explain its artifacts crafted in gold.

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