Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Scientists found signs of a lost civilization in the Amazon rainforest. People do not usually think ancient cities were hidden there.
The scientists used a laser tool on an airplane. The laser can see through thick trees and find shapes on the ground.
They found more than 20,000 large structures. These are called earthworks, and people built them a very long time ago.
Scientists think as many as three million people once lived in this area. They call this group the Aquiry civilization.
- civilization
- a large group of people with their own culture, cities, and way of life
- rainforest
- a thick, warm, wet forest with many kinds of plants and animals
- laser
- a strong, thin beam of light used for many kinds of technology
- canopy
- the top layer of leaves and branches in a forest
- structure
- something built, like a building or a large shape made from earth or stone
- earthwork
- a large structure made by shaping earth or soil
- ancient
- very old, from a long time ago
- peak
- the highest or strongest point of something
Level 2 — Elementary
A new study published in the journal Nature has revealed that a vast, previously unknown civilization once flourished across southwestern Amazonia, hidden for centuries beneath the dense rainforest canopy.
Researchers conducted more than 4,400 kilometers of airborne laser surveys, known as LiDAR, over the Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas, using a technology that can penetrate thick forest cover to map the shape of the ground below.
The survey identified 432 earthworks, only 36 of which had been recorded before, and researchers estimate that between 24,000 and 30,000 similar monumental structures exist across the wider region, which they call the Aquiry civilization.
At its peak between roughly AD 100 and 300, the Aquiry civilization is thought to have covered about 183,000 square kilometers across parts of modern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru, with an estimated population of between 1.25 million and three million people.
- flourish
- to grow and develop successfully
- dense
- packed closely together, with little space in between
- airborne
- carried through or operating from the air
- penetrate
- to pass into or through something
- monumental
- very large and impressive, often built to last
- estimate
- to make an approximate calculation or judgment
- region
- a large area of land, often with shared features
- population
- the number of people living in a particular area
Level 3 — Intermediate
A study published in Nature has revealed evidence of a previously unrecognized pre-colonial civilization that flourished across southwestern Amazonia, its monumental architecture concealed for centuries beneath one of the world's densest forest canopies.
Researchers conducted more than 4,400 kilometers of airborne LiDAR surveys over the Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas, a laser-based remote-sensing technique capable of penetrating dense vegetation to generate detailed elevation models of the terrain beneath.
The survey identified 432 earthworks, only 36 of which had previously been documented, leading researchers to estimate that between 24,000 and 30,000 comparable monumental features are distributed across the broader region they have termed the Aquiry civilization, encompassing geometric ditched enclosures, embankments, and ceremonial complexes dating from roughly 600 BC to AD 850.
At its zenith between approximately AD 100 and 300, the civilization is estimated to have spanned some 183,000 square kilometers across present-day Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru, sustaining a population researchers place between 1.25 million and three million, a dispersed settlement pattern the team describes as a possible form of low-density forest urbanism connected through ceremonial centers and exchange networks.
- concealed
- hidden from view or knowledge
- remote-sensing
- gathering information about something from a distance, often using aircraft or satellites
- elevation model
- a digital representation of the height and shape of land
- terrain
- the physical features of an area of land
- enclosure
- an area surrounded by a wall, fence, or ditch
- embankment
- a raised structure of earth or stone built to hold back water or support a road
- zenith
- the highest point or peak of success or power
- dispersed
- spread out over a wide area rather than concentrated in one place
Level 4 — Advanced
A study published in Nature has unveiled compelling evidence of a hitherto unrecognized pre-colonial civilization that flourished across southwestern Amazonia, its monumental architecture concealed for centuries beneath one of the planet's densest forest canopies and only now rendered visible through advances in remote-sensing technology.
Researchers conducted upward of 4,400 kilometers of airborne LiDAR surveys over the Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas, a laser-based technique capable of penetrating dense vegetation to generate high-resolution elevation models of the terrain concealed beneath, thereby circumventing the logistical constraints that had long impeded ground-based archaeological reconnaissance in the region.
The survey identified 432 discrete earthworks, a mere 36 of which had previously been documented, prompting researchers to extrapolate that between 24,000 and 30,000 comparable monumental features are distributed across the broader cultural landscape they have termed the Aquiry civilization, encompassing geometric ditched enclosures, embankments, and ceremonial complexes dating from approximately 600 BC to AD 850.
At its zenith between roughly AD 100 and 300, the civilization is estimated to have spanned some 183,000 square kilometers across present-day Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru, sustaining a population researchers place between 1.25 million and three million inhabitants, a dispersed settlement configuration the team characterizes as a putative form of low-density forest urbanism, its constituent communities interconnected via ceremonial centers, roadways, and exchange networks rather than concentrated within a single urban core.
- hitherto
- until now or until the time being discussed
- circumvent
- to find a way around an obstacle or difficulty
- reconnaissance
- preliminary observation or survey of an area to gather information
- extrapolate
- to estimate or conclude something by extending known data
- discrete
- individually separate and distinct
- putative
- generally considered or supposed to be the case
- configuration
- the particular arrangement of the parts of something
- constituent
- being a part of a whole
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