Lost Amazon Civilization Uncovered: Aquiry Thrived with 1.25-3 Million People
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Amazon rainforest, uncovering the remnants of a lost civilization that once thrived there. Led by archaeo-anthropologist Martti Pärssinen from the University of Helsinki, researchers used high-tech airborne LiDAR technology to scan a vast area of southwestern Amazonia.
The scans revealed hundreds of ancient earthworks left behind by the Aquiry civilization, which is estimated to have spanned an impressive 183,000-square-kilometer area. The team found that these earthworks, also known as geoglyphs, were in large formations comprising circles, squares, rectangles, and octagons.
The researchers believe that this massive pre-Columbian society had a significant impact on its surroundings, clearing forests to make space for their geoglyphs and farming crops like maize, squash, manioc, nuts, and peach palms. They estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 of these geoglyphs could be hiding under the trees across the entire area.
The discovery has significant implications for our understanding of the Amazon's history, as it shatters the long-held notion that the region was an empty, untouched wilderness before European colonists arrived. The team also notes that this population estimate could shift as more data comes in.