In a ground-breaking find, archaeologists in northern Guatemala have discovered 417 ancient settlements buried beneath 1,350 square kilometers of impenetrable jungle.
The cities were connected by approximately 110 miles of prehistoric “superhighways,” which scholars have named “the world’s first freeway system,” when they were first established around 1000 B.C.
Archaeologists in northern Guatemala made a ground-breaking discovery when they unearthed 417 ancient towns buried beneath 1,350 square kilometers of dense jungle.
circa 110 miles of prehistoric “superhighways,” which have been referred to as “the world’s first freeway system,” connected the cities when they were first founded circa 1000 B.C.
A considerably more evolved society than previously thought is shown by the wide network of cities and roadways, as well as the complex ceremonial complexes, hydraulic systems, and agricultural infrastructure.
Scientists who have been mapping the area since 2015 with lidar technology claim to have discovered evidence of an economically, politically, and socially ordered system that was in place roughly 2000 years ago. Millions of infrared laser pulses are transmitted from the air using lidar technology; these pulses bounce off the ground and produce precise 3D photographs of the structures buried beneath the vegetation.
Ancient dams, reservoirs, pyramids, and ball courts were revealed by lidar pictures after the area’s obscuring trees were digitally erased.
These discoveries might force us to reevaluate our knowledge of the prehistoric Maya civilization, which spread throughout what is now known as Central America.
Dr. Richard D. Hansen, the study’s chief author, was reported by The Washington Post as claiming that this discovery will cause people to reevaluate commonly held notions about the “roving bands of nomads, planting corn” of the mid-to-late Preclassic Maya civilisation (1000 B.C. to A.D. 250).
“The evidence of a complex society already existing around 1000 B.C. reveals an entirely new chapter of human history we were previously oblivious to,” said Dr. Richard’s study.
