Recently, ancient cities in the Ecuadorian Amazonia have been discovered! These ancient cities have been proven to be over 2,500 years old.  The cities go back to the Greco-Persian wars during the time of the Ancient Greeks. Archaeologists have been researching this area for an astonishing two decades; it has been surveyed and excavated several times. The archaeologists that have been conducting research have discovered that there are 6,000 earthen platforms throughout an area of 100 square miles, and it has been theorized that the civilization’s society had 16 settlements-all connected through many roads. Only now, the government has decided to aid the archaeologists by providing them with new technology.

How were they discovered?

The Amazon Basin was once so barren that it was thought nothing stood there. Now, thanks to the use of laser radar systems, new sites are being discovered in every nook and cranny of the Amazon Forest. The laser radar system used is called “Lidar,” which stands for light detection and ranging, and uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to detect and measure ranges. It has shown that the ancient civilizations’ villages were all connected to one another through a series of roads.

 How does this affect the world?

The recently discovered civilization is the oldest site in the Amazon. This relic of the past is one of the largest and earliest societies to survive wholly on an agrarian based lifestyle, which means their society revolved solely around agriculture and farming. The discovery of this site reminds us to avoid viewing societies in a Eurocentric way,  in which ancient civilizations like Rome, Greece, and Egypt are viewed as the only majorly advanced cultures. Instead, it is important to acknowledge civilizations such as this recently discovered Amazonian society, which is also heavily advanced for its time, and remember that the wonders of the Amazon include ancient cultures as well as lush tropical rainforests.