Archaeologists uncovered the remains of an 18th-century Portuguese colonial city hidden beneath the dense vegetation of the Amazon rainforest. The city, previously known only from historical maps, was discovered in the modern Brazilian state of Rondônia through the use of advanced LiDAR technology, which revealed its layout under the forest canopy.
The discovery was made by a team led by archaeologist Eduardo Neves, director of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at the University of São Paulo, as part of the "Amazônia Revelada" (Amazon Revealed) project. The project combines state-of-the-art technology with the traditional knowledge of forest peoples to uncover hidden archaeological sites in the Amazon.
About 250 years ago, Portuguese explorers founded a colony in the area now known as Rondônia. The city was a significant settlement during Portuguese dominion in Brazil, growing into a major economic hub powered by enslaved individuals, primarily from Africa, exploiting Brazil's natural resources such as sugar, gold, and coffee. However, after Brazil declared its independence under Dom Pedro I in the early 19th century, the city was abandoned. Over time, the forest reclaimed the area, and the stone blocks were removed, effectively erasing the city from human sight.
The city was present on some maps before disappearing completely, but until now, it had remained hidden under the thick canopy of the rainforest. LiDAR technology, which employs lasers to map the landscape, allowed researchers to penetrate the dense vegetation and reveal hidden man-made features. By sending laser pulses from the air and measuring the time it takes for the reflected light to return, LiDAR creates a high-resolution 3D image or map of the targeted area, including previously unknown structures that lie below the forest canopy.
"Using LiDAR technology, we were able to observe a wealth of details, including a previously unnoticed street system in the settlement that was abandoned and overgrown," said Eduardo Neves, according to All That's Interesting. "We still don't know exactly what these formations are; they may be agricultural areas or residential places, but we will have to return to the field to excavate and understand their meaning better," he added.
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The discovery offers a glimpse into the colonial past of the region and represents a significant advance in the knowledge of Brazil's history and its cultural heritage. The Amazônia Revelada project aims to register these archaeological sites to protect them as cultural heritage and create an additional layer of protection for these territories. "We want to register these archaeological sites to make them part of [our] heritage and create an additional layer of protection for these territories," Neves said, as reported by Futurism.
The project also emphasizes collaboration with indigenous communities, integrating traditional knowledge with modern technology. Local indigenous peoples participated in the fieldwork, contributing essential knowledge about the region and helping researchers to contemplate the city after delimiting the research area. This collaboration has allowed not only the preservation of the site but also the involvement of communities in the research of their own heritage.
LiDAR technology has been instrumental in revealing hidden archaeological sites under thick canopy coverage and is heavily used in the field of archaeology, including areas in the Amazon. It allows researchers to create detailed topographic maps without physically handling or possibly damaging the aged structures. LiDAR can map the topography of the land while also revealing hidden man-made features that may not usually be visible.
In addition to the colonial city, Neves and his team discovered other unknown sites containing geometric structures that may have been buildings. "These formations are known in other places, like Bolivia, but this is the first time we see them on the Brazilian side," Neves said.
The research is ongoing, and the Amazônia Revelada team plans to return to the site and continue piecing together the Amazon's forgotten history. "We're finding archaeological sites everywhere we go in the Amazon region. The question is what to do with them," Neves stated.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq