Ancient cities discovered in the Amazon are the largest yet found [View all]

A mysterious civilisation built a network of cities and roads in the Amazon between 3000 and 1500 years ago, and then disappeared

By Michael Le Page

11 January 2024



Lidar scans of the Upano valley in Ecuador showing raised platforms

Stephen Rostain

Aerial surveys have revealed the largest pre-colonial cities in the Amazon yet discovered, linked by an extensive network of roads.

“The settlements are much bigger than others in the Amazon,” says Stéphen Rostain at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris. “They are comparable with Maya sites.”

What’s more, at between 3000 and 1500 years old, these cities are also older than other pre-Columbian ones discovered in the Amazon. Why the people who built them disappeared isn’t clear.

It is often assumed that the Amazon rainforest was largely untouched by humans before the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus reached the Americas in the 15th century. In fact, the first Europeans reported seeing many farms and towns in the region.

These reports, long dismissed, have in recent decades been backed up by discoveries of ancient earthworks and extensive dark soils created by farmers. One estimate puts the pre-Columbian population of the Amazon as high as 8 million.

More:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2411924-ancient-cities-discovered-in-the-amazon-are-the-largest-yet-found/