There are probably more than 10,000 undiscovered pre-Columbian archaeological sites hidden in the Amazon. The researchers reached this conclusion after examining a section of the sprawling tropical forest. Specified work ScienceIt adds to growing evidence that the area is not a pristine rainforest but has been significantly altered by the indigenous peoples who lived there for more than 12,000 years.
Luis Eduardo Oliveira and Cruz de Aragao of the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil and their colleagues surveyed 5,315 square kilometers of the Amazon using Lidar, a technology that uses reflected laser light to create a three-dimensional representation of the landscape.
Leader captures small changes in topography by sending pulses of light into the rainforest, often from airplanes or drones, and has discovered many archaeological sites in recent years.
The team discovered 24 previously unknown earthenware artifacts in the areas it investigated, believed to be the remains of civilizations that lived between 1,500 and 500 years ago. The finds include a fortified village in the southern Amazon known to be densely populated due to the density of earthen walls connected by ancient roads.
In addition to defensive and ceremonial sites in the southwestern Amazon, permanent settlements and ceremonial sites with large stone structures arranged in circular groups have also been discovered in the northern Amazon.
Based on the excavation density in the new data and 937 previously discovered excavations, Aragao and his colleagues used a computer model to estimate how many more areas might remain hidden under forest canopy. According to their estimates, from 10,272 to 23,648 ground wells may go undetected.
The model analyzed typical characteristics of known earthworks, including local temperature, precipitation, soil clay content and distance from the nearest river, to predict where others might be located. “These are traits necessary to build structures and survive in these areas,” Aragao says.
(C. with F) Earthworks recently discovered at SwA.
(g with I) Recently discovered earthworks in GS. (J. And
k) Recently Discovered Earthworks in California. Scales, 100 m.
Most of the predicted structures are in the southwestern Amazon, with many others in the Brazilian state of Acre.
Emerging evidence suggests that the indigenous people who lived in the Amazon for more than 12,000 years were larger than previously thought, numbering as many as 5 million at one point. It is unclear why forest cities disappeared centuries ago.
As in previous studies, Aragao and his colleagues found high concentrations of domesticated plants that produced nuts or fruits near archaeological sites; This suggests that these lost societies significantly changed the composition of the rainforest. This could mean that predictions about how rainforests will adapt to climate change may be wrong, the researchers say, because the forests may not be as pristine as previously thought.
Ample evidence that large societies existed in the region before the arrival of Europeans could help preserve the Amazon, scientists say. About 17 percent of the rainforest has been cleared, and some researchers believe they have reached a tipping point where forests can no longer produce enough rainfall to sustain themselves. Source
Source: Port Altele
