Researchers Discover Lost Cities in Amazon
2024-01-22
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1Archeologists have found a group of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest.
2The cities were home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.
3Stéphen Rostain first noticed the earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador more than twenty years ago.
4But at the time, "I wasn't sure how it all fit together," said Rostain.
5He was one of the researchers who reported on the findings in the publication Science.
6Recent mapping using laser technology revealed those locations to be part of a group of settlements and connecting roads.
7The settlements are in the forested areas near the Andes mountains.
8"It was a lost valley of cities," said Rostain, who directs investigations at France's National Center for Scientific Research.
9"It's incredible," he added.
10The Upano people lived in the settlements between around 500 B.C. and 300 to 600 A.D.
11That was around the same time period as the Roman Empire in Europe, the researchers found.
12Ancient people built on over 6,000 earthen mounds in an area surrounded by agricultural fields with drainage canals.
13The largest roads were 10 meters wide and went for 10 to 20 kilometers.
14While it is difficult to estimate populations, the area was home to at least 10,000 people, and possibly about 15,000 or 30,000 at its highest point, said Antoine Dorison, a study co-writer.
15That is comparable to the estimated population of Roman-era London, then Britain's largest city.
16"This shows a very dense occupation and an extremely complicated society," said Michael Heckenberger of the University of Florida.
17He was not involved in the study.
18José Iriarte of the University of Exeter was also not involved in the study.
19He said it would have required a complex system of organized labor to build the roads and thousands of earthen mounds.
20Iriarte said, "The Incas and Mayans built with stone, but people in Amazonia didn't usually have stone available to build - they built with mud."
21The Amazon is often thought of as a wild area "with only small groups of people.
22But recent discoveries have shown us how much more complex the past really is," he added.
23Scientists have recently also found evidence of complex rainforest societies that came before European contact elsewhere in the Amazon, including in Bolivia and Brazil.
24"There's always been an incredible diversity of people and settlements in the Amazon, not only one way to live," said Rostain.
25"We're just learning more about them."
26I'm John Russell.
1Archeologists have found a group of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest. The cities were home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago. 2Stéphen Rostain first noticed the earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador more than twenty years ago. But at the time, "I wasn't sure how it all fit together," said Rostain. He was one of the researchers who reported on the findings in the publication Science. 3Recent mapping using laser technology revealed those locations to be part of a group of settlements and connecting roads. The settlements are in the forested areas near the Andes mountains. 4"It was a lost valley of cities," said Rostain, who directs investigations at France's National Center for Scientific Research. "It's incredible," he added. 5The Upano people lived in the settlements between around 500 B.C. and 300 to 600 A.D. That was around the same time period as the Roman Empire in Europe, the researchers found. 6Ancient people built on over 6,000 earthen mounds in an area surrounded by agricultural fields with drainage canals. The largest roads were 10 meters wide and went for 10 to 20 kilometers. 7While it is difficult to estimate populations, the area was home to at least 10,000 people, and possibly about 15,000 or 30,000 at its highest point, said Antoine Dorison, a study co-writer. That is comparable to the estimated population of Roman-era London, then Britain's largest city. 8"This shows a very dense occupation and an extremely complicated society," said Michael Heckenberger of the University of Florida. He was not involved in the study. 9José Iriarte of the University of Exeter was also not involved in the study. He said it would have required a complex system of organized labor to build the roads and thousands of earthen mounds. 10Iriarte said, "The Incas and Mayans built with stone, but people in Amazonia didn't usually have stone available to build - they built with mud." 11The Amazon is often thought of as a wild area "with only small groups of people. But recent discoveries have shown us how much more complex the past really is," he added. 12Scientists have recently also found evidence of complex rainforest societies that came before European contact elsewhere in the Amazon, including in Bolivia and Brazil. 13"There's always been an incredible diversity of people and settlements in the Amazon, not only one way to live," said Rostain. "We're just learning more about them." 14I'm John Russell. 15Christina Larson reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 16_____________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18mound - n. a small hill or pile of dirt or stones 19incredible - adj. extremely good, great, or large; difficult to believe 20drainage - n. the act or process of removing water or liquid from a place or thing 21canal - n. a long narrow place that is filled with water and was created by people 22complicated -- adj. hard to understand or explain