"You’re probably familiar with ancient Amazonian cities, but recently there have been ancient cities found in Ecuador using advanced laser scanning technology to detect archeological remains" --Lilah Aparton, 6th grade
You’re probably familiar with ancient Amazonian cities, but recently there have been ancient cities found in Ecuador using advanced laser scanning technology to detect archeological remains.
This laser technology is called LIDAR (Light detection and ranging), it uses laser sensors to scan the area around it. As lasers shine on the area to be mapped, they emit brief pulses of light, measuring the time it takes for the laser to reflect back to the scanner. This is more efficient than other archaeological methods such as landscape analysis, excavation, and microscopic investigations. It bypasses the thick forest canopy, enabling archaeologists to see human-made features on the forest floor. Prior to this discovery, LIDAR helped find ruins in Bolivia, Brazil and Belize proving to be a great archaeology method.
“The lasers used in LIDAR can scan through vegetation and provide better scanning,” said Stéphen Rostain, Archeologist and Director of Research at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) “The end result of using LIDAR is a 3D model of these archeological remains that you can view at any angle and study which is perfect if you are working in the jungle.”
Rostain was often discouraged by the idea of working in South America. According to Rostain, “Nobody was working in the Amazon, even my professor didn't want me to work there. But I insisted on working there, as I always wanted to work in the Amazon since the age of eight.”
Despite being discouraged, working in Ecuador led him to make the discovery that he did. “Since nobody was working there it was very easy to make a new discovery.”
In 1996, Rostain came to the Upano valley in Ecuador to study the ruins that date back to 500 BCE.
“It was a lost valley that flourished long before colonial times, inhabited by ancient and fierce people,” said Rostain. “Not until the mid 20th century people started making discoveries about this lost civilization.”
In 1996 Stephen began studying Ecuador and its ancient ruins. In 2015 they deployed planes equipped with LIDAR to scan the surrounding area. In the same year the government mandated a private company to employ the LIDAR technology, and due to some delay the LIDAR models were released in 2020.
Rostain was surprised by the scale of the city, with it covering roughly 100 square miles. The LIDAR imagery not only revealed the scale, but it also revealed 6,000 mounds created by the people living in the valley, along with clues to the various activities they participated in. The LIDAR imagery showed 15 different settlements, including: drainage systems, agricultural terraces and road networks all displaying the societies complexity. The LIDAR also showed the society’s agricultural advance, they were likely growing corn and sweet potatoes as their main crops.
Previously, scientists and archaeologists assumed that the ancient South Americans lived in small nomadic tribes. But contrary to popular belief, they actually lived in cities that housed populations in the 100,000s.
All of this disproved scientists' ideas about Ecuador's ancient history. Rostain discovered this giant ancient city, despite his professor's ideas about traveling to Ecuador. The LIDAR displayed new insights on the complexity of ancient Ecuador that scientists never knew of before. LIDAR will continue to improve in terms of resolution, range, and accuracy, making it even more effective at detecting and navigating complex environments.
This laser technology is called LIDAR (Light detection and ranging), it uses laser sensors to scan the area around it. As lasers shine on the area to be mapped, they emit brief pulses of light, measuring the time it takes for the laser to reflect back to the scanner. This is more efficient than other archaeological methods such as landscape analysis, excavation, and microscopic investigations. It bypasses the thick forest canopy, enabling archaeologists to see human-made features on the forest floor. Prior to this discovery, LIDAR helped find ruins in Bolivia, Brazil and Belize proving to be a great archaeology method.
“The lasers used in LIDAR can scan through vegetation and provide better scanning,” said Stéphen Rostain, Archeologist and Director of Research at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) “The end result of using LIDAR is a 3D model of these archeological remains that you can view at any angle and study which is perfect if you are working in the jungle.”
Rostain was often discouraged by the idea of working in South America. According to Rostain, “Nobody was working in the Amazon, even my professor didn't want me to work there. But I insisted on working there, as I always wanted to work in the Amazon since the age of eight.”
Despite being discouraged, working in Ecuador led him to make the discovery that he did. “Since nobody was working there it was very easy to make a new discovery.”
In 1996, Rostain came to the Upano valley in Ecuador to study the ruins that date back to 500 BCE.
“It was a lost valley that flourished long before colonial times, inhabited by ancient and fierce people,” said Rostain. “Not until the mid 20th century people started making discoveries about this lost civilization.”
In 1996 Stephen began studying Ecuador and its ancient ruins. In 2015 they deployed planes equipped with LIDAR to scan the surrounding area. In the same year the government mandated a private company to employ the LIDAR technology, and due to some delay the LIDAR models were released in 2020.
Rostain was surprised by the scale of the city, with it covering roughly 100 square miles. The LIDAR imagery not only revealed the scale, but it also revealed 6,000 mounds created by the people living in the valley, along with clues to the various activities they participated in. The LIDAR imagery showed 15 different settlements, including: drainage systems, agricultural terraces and road networks all displaying the societies complexity. The LIDAR also showed the society’s agricultural advance, they were likely growing corn and sweet potatoes as their main crops.
Previously, scientists and archaeologists assumed that the ancient South Americans lived in small nomadic tribes. But contrary to popular belief, they actually lived in cities that housed populations in the 100,000s.
All of this disproved scientists' ideas about Ecuador's ancient history. Rostain discovered this giant ancient city, despite his professor's ideas about traveling to Ecuador. The LIDAR displayed new insights on the complexity of ancient Ecuador that scientists never knew of before. LIDAR will continue to improve in terms of resolution, range, and accuracy, making it even more effective at detecting and navigating complex environments.