Ancient civilization discovered under the Amazon rainforest

The Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, with some 3 million species living beneath its humid rainforest canopy. But because of its dense vegetation and harsh landscape, the Amazon has never been home to the large ancient civilizations found elsewhere in the Americas.

By one estimate, about 90% of the Amazon's history remains unexplored.

New research by scientists at the French National Center for Scientific Research, published in the journal Science, has revealed the ruins of an ancient city in the Upano Valley of eastern Ecuador, along the Andes.

By mapping 115 square miles using light detection and ranging technology — LIDAR — the team found evidence of a 2,500-year-old settlement (named Sangay), which may have been home to 10,000 people, or even 100,000 at its peak.

“ The new findings change the way we think about Amazonian culture ,” said study co-author Antoine Dorison. “Most people imagine small groups, perhaps naked, living in huts and cultivating the land, but the study shows that ancient people lived in much more complex urban settings.”

Whoever inhabited the area probably thrived from around 500 BC to somewhere between 300 and 600 AD. LIDAR scans revealed multiple layers of ruins, including plazas, street layouts, and various drainage systems. The complex road system spans nearly six miles.

These roads appear to connect several different urban centers, similar to how the Maya in Mexico and Guatemala arranged their urban networks. Interestingly, the roads are also nearly straight and have right angles, suggesting a level of construction complexity that would be difficult to achieve in the Amazonian terrain.

The diet of the ancient inhabitants is also revealed by the traces of fields and drainage systems. Scientists speculate that the cities may have grown food including corn, beans, sweet potatoes and cassava.

By one estimate, about 90% of the Amazon’s history remains unexplored. But new technologies are shedding light on its ancient past and raising questions about what we really know about this wild, beautiful place.

The Viet (Source: PopMech)

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