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4 clusters · 33 sources · 7 days · First seen about 2 months ago · Last updated about 2 months ago

Amazon pre‑Columbian civilization mapped by LiDAR

Overview

Airborne LiDAR surveys continue to overturn the notion of the Amazon as an untouched wilderness. A July 2026 Colombian study published on 29 July mapped a vast system of straight, elevated pre‑Hispanic roads, platforms, ceremonial mounds and exchange zones hidden beneath the dense canopy. The high‑resolution 3‑D maps show how these pathways linked settlement clusters, agricultural fields and religious sites, indicating coordinated planning and regional integration far beyond earlier assumptions. In parallel, a Brazilian‑Finnish LiDAR effort reported on the same day documented 432 earthwork structures across Acre and Amazonas, and projected 24,000‑30,000 similar monuments across roughly 183,000 sq km of rainforest. These geometric ditches, embankments and ceremonial enclosures belong to the previously termed Aquisition civilization, which flourished from about 600 BCE to 850 CE and may have supported 1.25‑3 million people at its peak (100‑300 CE). A new international study led by Martti Parssinen of the University of Helsinki, published in *Nature*, expanded the picture to a broader “Aquiry” (also spelled Aquisition) civilization spanning present‑day Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. Over 400 preserved sites were identified, and the authors estimate more than 20,000 ceremonial and infrastructural structures across the same 183,000 km², representing less than 3 % of the Amazon basin. The paper further refined population estimates to 1.25‑3 million and emphasized that many additional sites likely remain undiscovered. Further analysis released on 1 August 2026 added 396 previously unknown earth‑works, bringing the total of identified structures to as many as 30,000. The same *Nature* article reiterated the 20‑30 k monument estimate and a peak population of 1.5‑3 million, underscoring the scale of landscape modification and the sophisticated planning of a densely inhabited, culturally complex Amazonian landscape. In early August 2026, the same LiDAR team published a detailed account of a 4,500 km² survey in the Brazilian state of Acre.

Entities

Amazon rainforest · University of Helsinki · Martti Pärssinen · Brazil · Aquiry civilization

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 10 SOURCES] An international team led by Martti Parssinen used LiDAR to map hidden structures in the southwest Amazon.
[● 10 SOURCES] The civilization, named Aquiry, existed between 600 BCE and 850 CE.
[● 10 SOURCES] The Aquiry civilization covered roughly 183,000 km², comparable to the size of Syria.
[● 10 SOURCES] Researchers identified more than 400 archaeological sites and estimate over 20,000 earthwork structures across the region.
[● 10 SOURCES] Population estimates for the Aquiry civilization range from 1.25 million to 3 million people.
[● 10 SOURCES] The structures include geoglyphs, earth mounds, platforms, straight roads and ceremonial centers.
[● 10 SOURCES] The surveyed area represents less than 3 % of the Amazon basin, implying many more undiscovered sites.
[● 6 SOURCES] Researchers conducted over 4,400 km of airborne LiDAR surveys over Acre and Amazonas in Brazil.
[● 6 SOURCES] The LiDAR survey identified 432 earthwork structures, up from 36 previously recorded.
[● 6 SOURCES] The earthworks are geometric ditches, embankments and ceremonial complexes, not permanent settlements.
[● 6 SOURCES] LiDAR revealed about five times more earthworks than satellite imagery alone.

Timeline

about 2 months ago

[CULTURE] 2 sources
Amazon LIDAR Survey Uncovers Massive Pre‑Columbian Civilization
Airborne LIDAR mapping in Brazil's Acre uncovered 432 ancient structures, revealing a pre‑Columbian civilization of up to three million people and reshaping views of Amazon pre‑European settlement.
about 2 months ago

[CULTURE] 7 sources
Ancient Aquiry Civilization Uncovered Beneath Amazon Rainforest via LiDAR Survey
LiDAR scans reveal 432 ancient earthworks in Brazil's Amazon, linked to the Aquiry civilization, indicating a population of up to 3 million and reshaping views of pre‑Columbian Amazonia.
about 2 months ago

[CULTURE] 10 sources
Aquisition civilization uncovered across Amazon via LiDAR survey
LiDAR surveys over Brazil's Acre and Amazonas uncovered 432 earthworks, indicating 24‑30 k structures across 183 k km² and a pre‑Columbian Aquisition population of 1.25‑3 million.
about 2 months ago

[CULTURE] 14 sources
Aquiry civilization uncovered in Amazon, up to 3 million inhabitants
LiDAR scans reveal the Aquiry civilization in the southwest Amazon, dating 600 BCE‑850 CE, covering 183,000 km², with 1.25‑3 million people and over 20,000 hidden earthworks, overturning the view of a sparsely‑

Sources

ac24horas.com · anthropology.net · bii.co.uk · br.sputniknews.com · breezyscroll.com · bzip.org · correiodeminas.com.br · diariodelcauca.com.co · diariodelsur.com.co · dnyuz.com · futurezone.de · geo.fr · halktv.com.tr · hsbnoticias.com · juruaemtempo.com.br · lacronicadebadajoz.elperiodicoextremadura.com · laopinioncoruna.es · levante-emv.com · mayacomunicacion.com.mx · newstarget.com · noticiasambientales.com.ar · oaltoacre.com · ocio.diarioinformacion.com · ocio.farodevigo.es · onlinemarketingscoops.com · operationdisclosureofficial.com · pme-tpe.fr · politika.rs · portaltucuma.com.br · revistaforum.com.br · standartnews.com · techritual.com · tout-troyes.com

This summary has been updated 7 times: see revision history