An ancient civilization of millions once flourished in the Amazon

New research conducted using airborne laser scanning reveals that a multicultural civilization that flourished in southwestern Amazonia between 600 BCE and 850 CE was home to millions of people. Spanning roughly 183,000 square kilometers (71,000 square miles), the Aquiry civilization built large centers for political and ritual purposes.

The top 3

  1. Ecuador's Upano Valley Ancient Cities: LiDAR technology revealed a vast network of ancient cities in Ecuador's Upano Valley, dating back 2,500 years (500 BCE to 300-600 CE), featuring thousands of earthen platforms, plazas, and sophisticated road systems connecting 15 settlements, with populations estimated between 10,000 and 30,000 people.
  2. Acre Geoglyphs: Amazonian Earth Tattoos: Hundreds of massive geometric geoglyphs, dating back 2,500 years, have been discovered in Brazil's Acre state, challenging the notion of a pristine Amazon and indicating a complex society, possibly the Aquiry civilization, with an estimated population of up to 3 million people.
  3. Terra Preta: The Amazon's 'Black Earth': Terra preta, or Amazonian Dark Earth, is a highly fertile anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonians by adding charcoal, organic waste, and pottery shards, enhancing nutrient retention and supporting sustainable agriculture for millennia in otherwise infertile tropical soils.

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