Described as an “unbelievable” discovery, the giant “ghost” of the Amazon rainforest is a valley of 2,500-year-old cities.
According to AP, the shocking discovery of the “ghost valley” comes from a suspicion raised two decades ago by archaeologist Stephen Rostain (French National Centre for Scientific Research) while exploring the Amazon rainforest.
This involved the mounds and buried roads discovered scattered throughout the portion of the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador.
“Valley of the Lost Cities” in the Amazon rainforest through LiDAR imaging – (Photo: SCIENCE).
To uncover the mysteries of one of the densest and hardest-to-survey forests in the world, Dr. Rostain and his colleagues utilized LiDAR, a remote sensing tool that employs laser beams to map 3D hidden structures.
What emerged from the depths of the forest was astonishing: a network of ancient settlements comprising interconnected cities.
These settlements were occupied by the Upano people from around 500 BC to approximately 300-600 AD.
According to archaeologist Antonie Dorison, a co-author of the study, the structures indicate that the entire ghost valley once housed at least 10,000 people for about a millennium. At peak times, the population could reach between 15,000 to 30,000 individuals.
Dr. Rostain termed this an “unbelievable” discovery, while archaeologist Michael Heckenberger from the University of Florida, who did not participate in the research, commented: “For the region, it is really in a class of its own, considering its era.”
Dr. Heckenberger’s comments imply that the construction and social organization of the cities in the “ghost valley of the Amazon” were far superior to many civilizations in the region and even globally.
Remaining evidence suggests they had a dense professional network and an extremely complex society.
Archaeologist Jose Irarte, who was also outside the study, explained that a well-organized and complex labor system would be necessary to build a network of roads connecting the cities and various other constructions.
Moreover, these people had to face an even greater challenge: constructing cities made of mud bricks, as there were no abundant stone resources like those found where the Maya or Inca lived.
This discovery has completely overturned the long-standing perspective that the Amazon was a pristine wilderness inhabited only by small tribes in the past.
