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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Nicola Davis

FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Lost amazon villages uncovered by archaeologists - The Untold Story

Archaeologists used satellite imagery to find archaeological sites in the Amazon’s upper Tapajós Basin.
Archaeologists used satellite imagery to find archaeological sites in the Amazon’s upper Tapajós Basin. Photograph: University of Exeter/PA

Once people thought the Amazon was a near-uninhabited rainforest before the Europeans turned up, but researchers say they have found new evidence that it was in fact a hive of human activity and home to millions of people.

A new study has revealed details of 81 sites in the previously uncharted territory of the Amazon’s upper Tapajós Basin, with settlements ranging from small villages just 30m wide to a large site covering 19 hectares.

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