Network of ancient lost cities mapped in Ecuadorian Amazon, astounding archaeologists
Laser mapping has revealed the extent of a cluster of ancient cities buried in the Amazon jungle that pre-date earlier discoveries by a thousand years.
At least 10,000 farmers, and possibly tens of thousands more, lived in the cities, which date back 2,000 years or more in a region that archaeologists have traditionally assumed was pristine wilderness. Now it appears to have been landscaped.
Laser-sensor technology known as lidar was used to map the Upano Valley in eastern Ecuador, nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, back in 2015 thanks to government funding. Archaeologists led by Stéphen Rostain of the National Center for Scientific Research (NCSR) in France analyzed the data and published their findings on Thursday in the journal Science.
They found more than 6,000 raised earthen platforms within about 115 square miles, all connected by an intricate road network. The presence of post holes and fireplaces, documented from previous excavations, indicate they were homes and ceremonial structures, according to New Scientist. There were open green spaces between these settlements where crops were grown, and among the houses were tiered gardens. Farmers grew maize, beans, cassava and sweet potatoes.
“It was a lost valley of cities,” said Rostain, NCSR’s director of investigations, comparing its scope to that of the sophisticated and complex Maya civilization in Central America. “It’s incredible.”
When Rostain first noticed the series of earthen mounds and buried roads two decades ago, he didn’t know what he was looking at.
Colleagues tried to dissuade Rostain from investigating back when he was starting out, believing that the Amazon had been occupied by primitive peoples, if anyone.
“But I’m very stubborn, so I did it anyway,” he told BBC News, adding that he’s glad he did.
Colorado State University archaeologist Christopher Fisher, who was not involved in the research, told Science News that this and other discoveries are a “paradigm shift in our thinking about how extensively people occupied these areas.”
“This is older than any other site we know in the Amazon,” Rostain told BBC News. “We have a Eurocentric view of civilization, but this shows we have to change our idea about what is culture and civilization.”
With News Wire Services
