Not that I would want to endorse clearing the rain forest to create cattle ranches, but massive clearing along the border of Brazil and Bolivia has exposed the remains of sophisticated ancient peoples. Hundreds of structures, roads, and more obscure features have been documented. As a guess, this stuff dates to between 300 and 1500 AD. For a quick review of the controversy over whether the Amazon was once a densely populated place, see my review of Charles Mann's 1491.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Ancient Amazon Earthworks
Not that I would want to endorse clearing the rain forest to create cattle ranches, but massive clearing along the border of Brazil and Bolivia has exposed the remains of sophisticated ancient peoples. Hundreds of structures, roads, and more obscure features have been documented. As a guess, this stuff dates to between 300 and 1500 AD. For a quick review of the controversy over whether the Amazon was once a densely populated place, see my review of Charles Mann's 1491.
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