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HUGE ANCIENT LOST CITY FOUND IN THE AMAZON

Published
4 days ago

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Image source, Stephen Rostain
Image caption,
Scientists found evidence of 6,000 mounds thought to be the basis for ancient
homes
By Georgina Rannard
Science reporter, BBC News


A huge ancient city has been found in the Amazon, hidden for thousands of years
by lush vegetation.

The discovery changes what we know about the history of people living in the
Amazon.

The houses and plazas in the Upano area in eastern Ecuador were connected by an
astounding network of roads and canals.

The area lies in the shadow of a volcano that created rich local soils but also
may have led to the destruction of the society.

While we knew about cities in the highlands of South America, like Machu Picchu
in Peru, it was believed that people only lived nomadically or in tiny
settlements in the Amazon.

"This is older than any other site we know in the Amazon. We have a Eurocentric
view of civilisation, but this shows we have to change our idea about what is
culture and civilisation," says Prof Stephen Rostain, director of investigation
at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France, who led the research.



"It changes the way we see Amazonian cultures. Most people picture small groups,
probably naked, living in huts and clearing land - this shows ancient people
lived in complicated urban societies," says co-author Antoine Dorison.

The city was built around 2,500 years ago, and people lived there for up to
1,000 years, according to archaeologists.

It is difficult to accurately estimate how many people lived there at any one
time, but scientists say it is certainly in the 10,000s if not 100,000s.

The archaeologists combined ground excavations with a survey of a 300 sq km (116
sq mile) area using laser sensors flown on a plane that could identify remains
of the city beneath the dense plants and trees.



This LiDAR technology found 6,000 rectangular platforms measuring about 20m (66
ft) by 10m (33 ft) and 2-3m high.

They were arranged in groups of three to six units around a plaza with a central
platform.



The scientists believe many were homes, but some were for ceremonial purposes.
One complex, at Kilamope, included a 140m (459 ft) by 40m (131 ft) platform.

They were built by cutting into hills and creating a platform of earth on top.

Image source, Stephen Rostain
Image caption,
Roads, paths and canals were found connecting the platforms suggesting a large
area was occupied

A network of straight roads and paths connected many of the platforms, including
one that extended 25km (16 miles).

Dr Dorison said these roads were the most striking part of the research.

 * Archaeologists discover scoreboard for ancient Maya ball game
 * Ancient mummy found under rubbish dump
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"The road network is very sophisticated. It extends over a vast distance,
everything is connected. And there are right angles, which is very impressive,"
he says, explaining that it is much harder to build a straight road than one
that fits in with the landscape.

He believes some had a "very powerful meaning", perhaps linked to a ceremony or
belief.



The scientists also identified causeways with ditches on either side which they
believe were canals that helped manage the abundant water in the region.

There were signs of threats to the cities - some ditches blocked entrances to
the settlements, and may be evidence of threats from nearby people.

Researchers first found evidence of a city in the 1970s, but this is the first
time a comprehensive survey has been completed, after 25 years of research.

It reveals a large, complex society that appears to be even bigger than the
well-known Mayan societies in Mexico and Central America.

"Imagine that you discovered another civilisation like the Maya, but with
completely different architecture, land use, ceramics," says José Iriarte, a
professor of archaeology at University of Exeter, who was not involved in this
research.

Some of the findings are "unique" for South America, he explains, pointing to
the octagonal and rectangular platforms arranged together.

The societies were clearly well-organised and interconnected, he says,
highlighting the long sunken roads between settlements.

Not a huge amount is known about the people who lived there and what their
societies were like.

Pits and hearths were found in the platforms, as well as jars, stones to grind
plants and burnt seeds.

The Kilamope and Upano people living there probably mostly focussed on
agriculture. People ate maize and sweet potato, and probably drank "chicha", a
type of sweet beer.

Prof Rostain says he was warned against this research at the start of his career
because scientists believed no ancient groups had lived in the Amazon.

"But I'm very stubborn, so I did it anyway. Now I must admit I am quite happy to
have made such a big discovery," he says.

The next step for the researchers is understanding what lies in an adjoining 300
sq km (116 sq mile) area not yet surveyed.


RELATED TOPICS

 * Archaeology
 * Amazon rainforest
 * Ecuador





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