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Ancient Earthworks Resembling Stonehenge Discovered In Amazon Rainforest

Ancient indigenous people built hundreds of large and mysterious earthworks in the Amazon rainforest more than 2,000 years ago.

Researchers have discovered over 450 earthworks in the western Brazilian Amazon after flying drones over the area. The large geometrical geoglyphs in Acre, a state in northwestern Brazil within the Amazon rainforest, were built by indigenous people more than 2,000 years ago before the arrival of the Europeans.

Geoglyphs are large designs produced on the ground and are often formed by rocks or similarly durable elements of the landscape such as trees, gravel, earth, and stones.

The geoglyphs were hidden by trees for most of their history, but deforestation has eventually helped reveal their presence. The discovery provided evidence how the ancient people lived in the region prior to the arrival of European people.

Study researcher Jennifer Watling, from the University of Sao Paolo's Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, said that the fact the sites were hidden beneath mature rainforest for centuries challenges the notion that the Amazonian forests are pristine ecosystems.