HomeEnvironmentEnvironment Focus: “Inspiring” ancient settlements unfolded in the Amazon: A challenging archaeological...

Environment Focus: “Inspiring” ancient settlements unfolded in the Amazon: A challenging archaeological dogma

The mysterious dunes in the southwest corner of the Amazon Basin were once the site of ancient urban settlements, scientists have discovered. Using advanced telescopes to map the atmosphere, a team of researchers has revealed that since about 1,500 years ago, the ancient peoples of the ancient Amazon built and lived in densely populated, 22-foot-high [22 m] clay towers and for miles around highways. The complexity of these sites is “intriguing,” says HeikoPrümers, an archaeologist at the German Archaeological Institute headquartered in Berlin and a member of the team.“This is the first clear indication that there was an urban community in this part of the Amazon Basin,” says Jonas Gregorio de Souza, a paleontologist at the PompeuFabra University in Barcelona, ​​Spain. Adding to the growing research showing that the Amazon – once thought to be a clean desert before the arrival of Europeans – was home to previously developed societies. The discovery was published on May 25 in Nature1.

9,500 years before the arrival of Europeans

People lived in the Amazon Basin – a large river water supply system about the size of the continental United States – about 9,500 years before the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century. Researchers thought that before the arrival of Europeans, all the peoples of the Amazon lived in small, nomadic lands that had little or no effect on the world around them. And although early European explorers described a place full of villages and towns, the later explorers could not find it.By the 20th century, archaeologists had not yet substantiated the rumors, claiming that the Amazon’s poor soil was not sufficient to support major agriculture, and that it would prevent tropical civilizations – such as those found in Central and Southeast Asia – from. available on Amazon. In the 2000’s, however, archeology began to change. Some researchers suggest2 that extraordinary pets, as well as fragments of land that may have been produced by humans, may indicate that the ancient inhabitants of the Amazon had actually conquered their habitat.The hypothesis found smoke when in 2018, archaeologists reported three hundred geometric dunes found in deforestation at the southern end of the Amazon rain forest. These structures pointed to ancient civilizations that were able to thrive in one place over the years – but there was no direct evidence of habitat.

In 1999, Prümers began studying another group of dunes in Bolivia that were part of the Amazon Basin, but outside the dense jungle. Hundreds of these tree-covered dunes rise above the floodplain during the rainy season.Previous research has revealed that these “forest islands” contained traces of human habitation, including the remains of a mysterious Casarabe culture dating to about AD 500. During the excavations, Prümers and his colleagues discovered that they had found what seemed to be a wall. indicating that permanent residence was once occupied. Researchers also found cemeteries, platforms and other indications of a difficult society. But the dense vegetation made it difficult for them to use conventional methods to explore the area.

Honduran region helped lead to the rediscovering of an ancient pre-Columbian city

By the 2010s, a method called lidar – a remote sensing technology that used laser to produce a 3-D image below – had become very popular with archaeologists. In 2012, a lidar survey in the Honduran region helped lead to the rediscovering of an ancient pre-Columbian city that was rumored to exist in the area. The forest had completely settled in since it was abandoned in the 15th century, making it difficult to see from heaven without a cover.

Prümers and his colleagues used lidar in 2019 when they flew a professional helicopter to six locations near the confirmed locations of the Casarabe people. The team achieved more than it intended, with the door revealing the size and shape of 26 living quarters, including 11 that researchers had not yet sought – a major task that could take 400 years to test in conventional ways, Prümers said. Two urban centers each cover an area of ​​more than 100 hectares on average – three times the size of Vatican City. Lidar sculptures reveal compounds with walls with wide plains rising up to 6 feet from the ground. On one side of the field stood the round towers made of earth. People were probably living in areas around the fields and walking on the roads that connected these areas with each other.

“We have this image of Amazonia as a green desert – without any kind of culture,” Prümers said. But considering that civilization grew and flourished in some tropical areas, “why shouldn’t there be such a thing here?” he says.

Mysteries still exist

Why these settlements were abandoned after 900 years remains a mystery. Radiocarbon dating revealed that Casarabe disappeared around AD 1400.Prümers points out that photos of lidar found dams in residential areas, possibly indicating that this part of the world was not always wet – a natural change that may have driven people away. But also, continuous pollen records show4 that maize was grown locally for thousands of years, indicating sustainable agricultural practices.At the very least, the discovery of long-lost Amazon communities “is changing the general public perception of Amazon archeology,” says Eduardo Neves, a paleontologist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. Deforestation and farming in the Amazon Basin are likely to lead to the destruction of important archaeological sites that he has not yet discovered, he says, and the growing interest in the Amazon archeology could lead to better protection of endangered areas.These findings also contradict the narrative that the Natives were idle citizens before the arrival of Europeans. “The people who lived there changed the situation forever,” said Neves.

Source Journal Reference: Freda Kreier, ‘Mind blowing’ ancient settlements uncovered in the Amazonm, Nature News (2022) Updates and Correction, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01458-9

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