Researchers have uncovered hundreds of previously unknown ancient earthworks hidden beneath the Amazon rainforest using LiDAR technology, revealing that the Aquiry civilization was far larger and more populous than previously believed. The discovery challenges the long-held belief that the Amazon was an untouched wilderness, suggesting instead that it was a landscape extensively shaped by large and complex human societies.
The Aquiry civilization flourished in southwestern Amazonia between around 600 BCE and 850 CE. During this period, its people carved vast geometric earthworks into the landscape, creating ceremonial and public spaces connected by straight roads.
