Ancient Aquiry Civilization Uncovered Beneath Amazon Rainforest via LiDAR Survey

A multinational research team used airborne LiDAR scanning to map the Brazilian Amazon and identified 432 earthwork sites, of which 396 were previously unknown. The structures—geometric enclosures, roads and ceremonial platforms—date from roughly 600 BCE to 850 CE and are attributed to the pre‑Columbian Aquiry civilization. Researchers estimate that 20,000‑30,000 similar monuments may still be hidden across the forest, suggesting a population of 1.5‑3 million people at the civilization’s peak.

The findings, published in *Nature*, challenge the long‑standing view of the Amazon as an untouched wilderness before European contact and indicate a highly organized, networked society that extensively modified the landscape. Lead archaeologist Martti Pärsinnen of the University of Helsinki highlighted the scale of the discovery and its implications for understanding pre‑historic Amazonian demography and land use.