Scientists find proof of lost cities hiding in the Amazon rainforest

A team of researchers have penned a study recently published in the journal Nature that details the discovery of an ancient lost city within the Amazon rainforest.

3

The scientists behind the study used LiDAR technology, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, and is a remote-sensing technology that uses a laser beam to get information about surrounding objects. The team used the LiDAR technology to scan a portion of the Amazon and found beneath the thick canopy the remains of a civilization. The researchers believe the small city was operated by the Casarabe Culture (500-1400 C.E.) and features causeways, urban centers, and platform and pyramid architecture.

Notably, the data showed that some of these causeways were raised and connected to scattered suburban-like settlements, which were separated by some kind of water distribution system that featured canals and reservoirs. Discoveries such as these pave the way for researchers to argue that the Amazon rainforest was at one stage heavily populated and urbanized, which is contrary to the recorded history of the region.

3

Furthermore, co-author of the study, Heiko Prumers, of the German Archaeological Institute, said that assumption that the Amazon rainforest was a "wilderness" that has been untouched by man can be traced back to Europeans. "It's a myth that was created by Europeans who really spoke of a jungle, and vast regions untouched by humans. So a lot of people didn't want to see that there were archaeological sites here that merit exploration," said Prumers.

Read more: Ancient 'lost' civizilation found deep in the Amazon using lasers

"I'm sure that in the next 10 or 20 years we'll see a lot of these cities, and some even bigger than the ones we are presenting in our paper," added Prumers.

For more information on this story, check out this link here.