A recent study has unearthed a civilization that may have housed up to 3 million individuals beneath the thick cover of the Amazon rainforest.
The researchers conducted a survey covering over 4,400 km of the southwestern Amazon Basin using LIDAR technology, which utilizes laser light pulses to map the ground beneath the forest canopy. The findings were published in nature.
Archaeologists now speculate that the Aquili civilization, present in the region from around 600 BC to 850 AD, was potentially three times larger than previously assumed. At its peak, this society may have comprised a population of 1.25 million to 3 million individuals.
The study uncovered thousands of geometric patterns known as geoglyphs etched into the Earth. These patterns take on various shapes like circles and squares, interconnected by straight roads or pathways.
“The scale and precision of these structures is astounding,” stated lead author and archaeologist at the University of Helsinki, Professor Marti Persinen, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
“Based on LiDAR surveys covering 4,500 km², we estimate that the entire 183,000 km² Aquili region may contain approximately 24,000 to 30,000 earthworks connected by hundreds of roads, revealing a previously unimaginable scale of landscape modification in this region of Amazonia.”
Before LIDAR technology allowed for a glimpse through the forest cover, experts were limited to studying cleared areas of the Amazon. This perpetuated the misconception that only sparse regions of the rainforest were inhabited by humans, neglecting the denser parts.
“These findings suggest that many other regions across the Amazon may also be much more densely populated and intensively modified than previously assumed, calling into question the long-held view that the rainforest is largely untouched,” Persinen remarked.
The next phase of the project will utilize the same laser technology to identify tree species that thrive in the area today, including nuts and fruits that early societies cultivated.
“We will then explore how their distribution aligns with different ecosystems and the positioning of ancient road networks and earthworks,” Persinen added. “In essence, one cannot help but ponder on what else might be hidden beneath the forest canopy.”
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
