Discovered, Vast Network of Amazon Villages Laid out Like Constellations [Video]

Amazon: Ancient Amazonian peoples lived in villages shaped like the cosmos. Those are the findings of an archaeological team who recently flew over the Brazilian rainforest scanning the area with lasers. LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology is enabling experts to see beneath layers of history like never before.

These pre-Columbian villages under the trees – numbering over 35 so far – date to between 1300-1700 AD. Arranged in circles and sometimes rectangles, they’re referred to as “mound” villages and are around 3 miles apart. Circular villages are reportedly 282 ft in diameter on average, whereas rectangular sites cover approx 148 ft writes Live Science.

The researchers – including archaeologists from the University of Exeter – were exploring the southern part of Acre State. Live Science writes about “soil-sculpting cultures” who appear to have followed “specific social models” when building their communities.

The mounds are arranged around central plazas, with the villages …