Traces Of Ancient Urban Society Uncovered In Brazil
Posted on: Friday, 29 August 2008, 14:01 CDT
Researchers say they have discovered traces of an ancient populated town once located in the Amazon river basin.
The so-called Upper Xingu in Brazil is assumedly a completely unsettled region, but researchers reported in the journal Science that it was home to an urban culture of different tribes about 1,500 years ago.
Although they weren’t as sophisticated as cultures like the Maya to the north, their culture was more complex than anthropologists had thought.
Lead author Michael J. Heckenberger of the University of Florida said the team’s discovery "requires a rethinking of what early urbanism may have been like, in diverse and variant forms."
"These are not cities, but this is urbanism, built around towns."
"They have quite remarkable planning and self-organization, more so than many classical examples of what people would call urbanism," he said.
One key find was apparent traces of “dark earth” that suggested past human waste dumps or farming.
Evidence was found of dams and artificial ponds - thought to have been used for fish farming - as well as open areas and large compost heaps.
Overall, researchers found evidence of 28 prehistoric residential areas. The local population declined sharply after Europeans arrived.
Each village had a central plaza, the team reports. Larger communities could cover 150 acres and included gates and secondary plazas.
Populations were estimated at 800 to 1,000 in the towns, with satellite farming villages bringing the total to about 2,500 in each of several village clusters.
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Image 1: An excavation trench is placed over a defensive ditch as part of the research in August 2002. University of Florida file photo
Image 2: Excavation of a prehistoric house site is done as part of the research in April 2005. University of Florida file photo
Image 3: An excavation unit is positioned adjacent to an excavation trench in September 2002. University of Florida file photo
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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