Lost Amazon civilisation revealed
2010 01 12
By Claire Bates | DailyMail.co.uk
Hundreds of geometric monuments unearthed deep in the Amazon may have been left behind by a previously unknown society, say scientists.
Archaeologists have found more than 200 earthworks shaped as perfect circles and squares, many connected by straight roads. They have dated one site to 1283AD but say others could be from as early as 200AD.
 Aerial photograph and plan of the Fazenda Colorada site, which is made up of clear geometric shapes. Excavations suggest inhabitants lived in the three-sided square.
The earthen foundations were found in a region more than 150miles across, covering northern Bolivia and Brazil's Amazonas state.
The first ones were uncovered in 1999, after large areas of pristine forest was cleared for cattle grazing.
Sculpted from the clay rich soils of Amazonia, the earthworks are made up of 30ft wide and 10ft deep ditches alongside 3ft high walls. The largest ring ditches founds so far are 1,000ft in diameter.
The structured earth mounds or 'geoglyphs' can now be spotted against the treeless, savanna-like landscape and scientists have compiled an archive using Google Earth.
A team of researchers have analysed all the findings in a paper published in the journal Antiquity.
They found that most earthworks were clustered on a 200m high plateau at the top of river valleys. This would have given inhabitants a defensive advantage with a clear view of people coming up river. Most were also placed near spring water sources.
 Aerial photograph of the Fazenda Parana site. The geometric shape indicates such places had high symbolic significance.
The researchers hypothesised that the monuments may also have had a ceremonial function, due to the highly symbolic layout of the mounds.
Co-author Denise Schaan from Federal University of Pará in Brazil, said: 'Whether the sites were purely ceremonial or defensive, it is clear that the area was densely populated by relatively sedentary people at the eve of European contact.'
Ms Schaan said they estimated at least 300 people would be needed to build a geoglyph when taking both workers and domestic helpers into account. This points to a regional population of around 60,000 people.
She added that nearly ten times as many earthworks may exist undetected under the remaining forest.
Excavations at some sites have also revealed evidence of permanent habitation, including domestic ceramics, charcoal and grinding stone fragments.
The findings cast serious doubt on previous studies that stated the area could only support small, impermanent villages.
Instead it is likely the Amazon teemed with complex societies. These were probably wiped out by diseases brought to South America by colonists 500 years ago.
Article from: DailyMail.co.uk
Related Articles
Amazonian ants make males redundant to become world's first all-female species
The first Boys From Brazil: Nazi graveyard discovered deep in the Amazon rainforest
Amazonian queen excavations reveal ancient palace in Ţanlýurfa
Slide Rule Sense: Amazonian Indigenous Culture Demonstrates Universal Mapping Of Number Onto Space
Team finds more traces of lost Amazon civilization
600 Year Old Amazon Mummies of the Chachapoyas Caught In Terror
How a prehistoric sat nav stopped our ancestors getting lost in Britain
Sacred Geometry: Flower of Life
Jain - Sacred Geometry & Vedic Mathematics (Video)
Brussel's geomancy and it's hidden symbology"
Latest News from our Front Page
|
No Bank Deposits Will Be Spared from Confiscation
2013 05 18
As alert Zero Hedge readers are aware, this week the EURO Politburo is busy debating the dodgy subject of deposit "bail-ins."
The following article very succinctly explains this odious mode of fractal fractional reserve end-game chicanery.
The author encourages all of you to share it with others.
NO BANK DEPOSITS WILL BE SPARED FROM CONFISCATION
By Matthias Chang Esq, futurefastforward.com (with author’s permission)
I challenge ... |
Military Says No Presidential Authorization Needed To Quell “Civil Disturbances”
2013 05 17
A recent Department of Defense instruction alters the US code applying to the military’s involvement in domestic law enforcement by allowing US troops to quell “civil disturbances” domestically without any Presidential authorization, greasing the skids for a de facto military coup in America along with the wholesale abolition of Posse Comitatus.
The instruction (embedded at the end of this article), which ... |
Ancient Maya Pyramid Destroyed in Belize
2013 05 17
An archaeological group says it plans to take legal action.
Despite its small size, the Caribbean country of Belize is known for a few outstanding characteristics: a spectacular barrier reef, a teeming rain forest, and extensive Maya ruins.
It now has one fewer of those ruins.
A construction company in Belize has been scooping stone out of the major pyramid at the site ... |
Ginger: A Warming Herb
2013 05 17
Ginger is an Asian herb that is particularly well known to us in the West. Over time, and with trial and error, its stimulating properties and piquant flavor have been integrated into both our herbal “materia medica” and cuisine.
Brewed as an herbal tea, ginger root is particularly helpful for those people who have underactive stomachs and difficulty producing adequate amounts ... |
Australian man dead for 40 minutes revived with new CPR machine
2013 05 17
In an Australian first, doctors have used a new resuscitation technique to revive three patients who were clinically dead for up to an hour.
One of the lucky survivors was Colin Fiedler, 49, who was pronounced dead at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, after suffering a heart attack, The Herald Sun reported.
Doctors brought Fieldler back to life using a U.S.-made ... |
| More News » |
|
|
|
|
