Deforestation Reveals 2000 Years Old 'Stonehenge' Like Circular Stone Structures In The Middle Of The Amazon
There are so many peculiar structures on earth that were constructed at the prehistoric age. Now, scientists have discovered Stonehenge-like structures on Amazon rainforest that has been hidden for more than 2,000 years.Those astonishing earthworks were concealed by trees but, the rapid rate of deforestation in the last couple of years divulged those stone arrangements.
A research team from the University of Sao Paulo investigate over 8,000 square miles of acre state in the north-western state of Brazil. Using the google earth technology researchers unveiled more than 450 geoglyphs. Researchers are assuming those ditches were once used as ceremonial or ritual gathering places at around 2,000 years ago. Their findings were first published in the journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS).
Those structures truly indicate that the rainforest wasn’t untouched that was previously thought. A postdoctoral researcher from the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, Dr. Jennifer Watling said in a statement,“The fact that these sites lay hidden for centuries beneath mature rainforest really challenges the idea that Amazonian forests are ‘pristine ecosystems”.
According to the report by Mail Online, humans temporarily cleared those bamboo forests to build those structures. Circular structures of outer ditches and wall structures of inner geoglyphs indicate the site is just like the construction of Stonehenge. Dr. Watling and her team also collected soil samples from the geoglyphs.
Researchers inspected phytoliths from the sample of soil that they have collected from the site. Phytolith is a rigid and microscopic silica fossil, found from the inside of plant tissues. By analyzing the phytoliths, researchers were able to reconstruct the ancient vegetation and charcoal quantities.
Soil profile also indicates the burning activity and stable isotopes of carbon. That means the native peoples from that age didn’t burn the portion of the forest for their living purpose. Dr. Watling and her team came into a decision that those people were dependent on the valuable trees. They use to trade various part of the trees to live their daily life.
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