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Title: Deforestation Unveils Lost Amazon Civilization
Source:
Discovery.com
URL Source: http://news.discovery.com/earth/def ... -lost-amazon-civilization.html
Published: Jan 7, 2010
Author: Michael Reilly
Post Date: 2010-01-08 23:03:43 by buckeroo
Keywords: None
Views: 16776
Comments: 96
Who would've thought deforestation had an upside? Satellite flyovers of newly cleared land in the Amazon have uncovered a vanished civilization that could rival the Incans or Aztecs in sophistication. Researchers found mysterious geometric trenches and other earthworks carved into the landscape as early as a decade ago, but satellites have paved the way for the discovery of over 200 giant structures. Writing in the journal Antiquity, the researchers say the the formations stretch for some 250 kilometers (155 miles) across the upper Amazon basin east of the Andes mountains and appear to be of a similar style throughout, suggesting one vast, united civilization that could have totaled some 60,000 inhabitants. Researchers also found stone tools, bits of ceramics, and other artifacts buried in mounds along the trenches. So far, the uncovered areas date to between 200 and 1283 A.D., but the team thinks they've seen "no more than a tenth" of the true extent of this archeological wonder. More from an article which appeared Tuesday in the Guardian: "These revelations are exploding our perceptions of what the Americas really looked liked before the arrival of Christopher Columbus," said David Grann, author of "The Lost City of Z," a book about an attempt in the 1920s to find signs of Amazonian civilizations. "The discoveries are challenging long-held assumptions about the Amazon as a Hobbesian place where only small primitive tribes could ever have existed, and about the limits the environment placed on the rise of early civilisations." ElDorado2 They are also vindicating, said Grann, Percy Fawcett, the explorer who partly inspired Conan Doyle's book "The Lost World." Fawcett led an expedition to find the City of Z but the party vanished, bequeathing a mystery. Many scientists saw the jungle as too harsh to sustain anything but small nomadic tribes. Now it seems the conquistadores who spoke of "cities that glistened in white" were telling the truth. They, however, probably also introduced the diseases that wiped out the native people, leaving the jungle to claim – and hide – all traces of their civilization.
Poster Comment: There is no upside. The planet is unquestionably dying with the Arctic melting, the destruction of coral reefs and the average temperature climbing at rates that demand a complete stop to deforestation releasing CO2.Who would've thought deforestation had an upside?
I strongly recommend that for the preservation of all mankind that we consider methods of conservation quickly.
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#19. To: buckeroo, Original_Intent (#0)
This was a very extensive civilization and they created a soil that we can not duplicate today. We are trying though.
This was a very extensive civilization and they created a soil that we can not duplicate today. We are trying though. They did some other interesting stuff apparently with plants. Take for example the Banana. It has no seeds and the plant produces no seeds. It is propagated solely by root cuttings. Bananas are, by the way, a perfect food. You can subsist on nothing but Bananas and water and not suffer any dietary deficiencies. Amaranth, the grain of the Incas, is the only grain, so far as I am aware, that has ALL essential amino acids. I'm sure there are likely others but those are the two I am aware of. As well is the scale and sophistication of the structures. The largest Pyramid, found outside of Mexico City, is EIGHT miles around at the base. By way of comparison the Pentagram is only 5 miles around. There are things in the Amazon Basin which no modern man has seen up close and lived. The natives in the area are, based on their legends and such, very protective of them. If you try to visit them they will kill you as it is sacred ground. Landsat photos of one area in the Amazon jungle spotted a group of Pyramidal "hills" that are identical in form to the Egyptian Pyramids. Click Here for Link to Photos
Ever hear of Quinoa?
Yes, I thought of it a while after I made the post but decided not to edit it in. Besides I don't like Quinoa - too much fuss. Although it is a useful grain. I'll buy Quinoa Flour to add a little to my multi-grain bread - as I do with Amaranth. I like the Amaranth though as it adds a nice sweet nutty flavor to bread. You just can't add too much as it does not have gluten and so too much and the bread won't raise properly.
There are no replies to Comment # 74. End Trace Mode for Comment # 74.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestMany scientists saw the jungle as too harsh to sustain anything but small nomadic tribes. Now it seems the conquistadores who spoke of "cities that glistened in white" were telling the truth.
#24. To: farmfriend, buckeroo, wudidiz (#19)
Many scientists saw the jungle as too harsh to sustain anything but small nomadic tribes. Now it seems the conquistadores who spoke of "cities that glistened in white" were telling the truth.
#69. To: Original_Intent (#24)
Amaranth, the grain of the Incas, is the only grain, so far as I am aware, that has ALL essential amino acids.
#71. To: FormerLurker (#69)
(Edited)
Ever hear of Quinoa?
#74. To: Original_Intent (#71)
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