Airborne laser technology has uncovered hundreds of ancient structures in western Brazil's rainforest. These findings suggest a massive, interconnected society known as the Aquiry lived there between 600 BCE and 850 CE.
Lidar's 400-monument map of the Acre River
Researchers from the University of Helsinki, led by archaeologist Martti Pärssinen, have utilized Lidar (light detection and ranging) to peer through the dense canopy of the Brazilian Amazon. as the report says, this noninvasive laser technology allowed the team to survey 1,737 square miles of rainforest,revealing more than 400 well-preserved monuments, roads, and ceremonial sites. The team believes these are just the tip of the iceberg, extrapolating that between 20,000 and 30,000 such earthworks may exist across the region.
The structures, which the researchers named the Aquiry after the indigenous Iõapari name for the Acre River, include complex geoglyphs. According to study coauthor Alceu Ranzi of the University of Acre, these geometric shapes include octagons, pentagrams, and circles inscribed within precise squares. These findings fundamentally challenge the long-held scientific consensus that the Amazon was a pristine wilderness devoid of complex human civilization prior to the arrival of European conquistadors.
The 3 million person estimate for the Aquiry
The scale of the Aquiry civilization suggests a population density previously thought impossible for the rainforest environment. Based on the discovery of these earthworks, researchers estimate that between 1.25 and 3 million people inhabited a 71,000-square-mile patch of the Amazon. This discovery places the Aquiry within a broader global trend of "hidden" civilizations being revealed by Lidar, similar to the recent discoveries of Mayan cities in Central America, proving that ancient humans could sustain massive populations in tropical climates.
This population boom was not a random occurrence but the result of a highly organized, multicultural society. The presence of straight roads connecting various geoglyphs indicates a level of regional planning and social stratification that mirrors other great ancient civilizations. By reshaping the landscape,the Aquiry transformed the Amazon from a wild jungle into a managed anthropogenic forest.
Brazil nuts and maize in the ancient rainforest
The Aquiry did not merely live in the forest; they engineered it. Analysis of phytoliths—microscopic plant mineral deposits—indicates that the Aquiry were early farmers of squash and maize. Furthermore, the civilization actively managed the ecosystem by cultivating protein-rich tree species, including peach palm and Brazil nut, as well as fruit-bearing palms such as uricuri and bacaba.
This evidence of sophisticated horticulture suggests that the current composition of the Amazon rainforest is, in part, a legacy of ancient human intervention. By selecting and planting specific species,the Aquiry created a sustainable food system that supported millions of people for over a millennium, suggesting that ancient rainforest management was far more advanced than modern industrial agriculture.
Heiko Prümers' theory on Aquiry relocation
Despite the excitement, some experts suggest the population numbers may be inflated. Heiko Prümers of the German Archaeological Institute argues that the high number of geoglyphs might not indicate a dense, static population, but rather a pattern of frequent relocation.. In this view, the Aquiry may have moved their settlements often, leaving behind a trail of monuments that look like a massive city but were actually sequential campsites.
This debate leaves several critical questions unanswered. It remains unclear exactly why the Aquiry civilization vanished or declined around 850 CE, and the report does not specify if there were conflicts between the Aquiry and other contemporary groups in the region. Additionally, while the Lidar scans provide a map, the lack of extensive ground-level excavation means the internal social structure and political organization of the Aquiry remain largely speculative.
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