Ancient civilization discovered beneath the Amazon rainforest.

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

According to one estimate, about 90% of Amazon's history remains undiscovered .

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

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

“ This new discovery changes the way we view Amazonian culture ,” said study co-author Antoine Dorison. “Most people picture small, perhaps naked, groups living in huts and clearing land, but the research shows that ancient people lived in much more complex urban environments.”

Regardless of who lived in the area, it likely flourished from around 500 BC until approximately between 300 and 600 AD. LIDAR scanning technology reveals multiple layers of ruins, such as plazas, laid-out streets, and various drainage systems. Among them, a complex road network stretched for nearly 6 miles.

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

The diets of ancient inhabitants are also revealed through traces of fields and drainage systems. Scientists speculate that these cities may have grown crops including corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and cassava.

According to one estimate, about 90% of the Amazon's history remains undiscovered. But new technologies are shedding light on its distant past and raising questions about what we truly know about this pristine, beautiful place.

The Viet (Source: PopMech)

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