The archaeological ruins of ancient cities in the jungles of northern Brazil

One of the most important studies on archaeological evidence of an ancient city in the jungles of northern Brazil was carried out by the German explorer Richard Schomburgk, in the 19th century. Schomburgk was a German naturalist and explorer who traveled through Brazil between 1835 and 1839. During his travels, he visited the state of Amazonas and found evidence of a large ancient city in the region’s jungles.

In his book Travels in the Interior of South America, Schomburgk describes the ruins of a city he found on the Rio Negro. He reports seeing large blocks of stone, terraces and remains of buildings. He also found ceramic and metal objects dating back thousands of years.

Schomburgk believed that the city he found was the capital of an ancient indigenous empire that flourished in the Amazon region. He named the city Manaos, after the capital of the state of Amazonas.

Schomburgk’s findings were controversial at the time. Some historians believed he had exaggerated or invented the ruins. However, later archaeological research confirmed the existence of an ancient city in the jungles of the Amazon.

Another important study on archaeological evidence of an ancient city in the jungles of northern Brazil was carried out by Brazilian explorer Orlando Ribeiro in the 20th century. Ribeiro was a geographer and historian who studied the Amazon for many years.

In his book The Amazon and Civilization, Ribeiro describes the ruins of a city he found on the Tapajós River. He reports seeing large blocks of stone, terraces and remains of buildings. He also found ceramic and metal objects dating back thousands of years.

Ribeiro believed that the city he found was the capital of an ancient indigenous empire that flourished in the Tapajós region. He named the city Tapajós, after the river.

Ribeiro’s discoveries were also controversial at the time. However, later archaeological research confirmed the existence of an ancient city in the Tapajós jungles.

In addition to Schomburgk and Ribeiro, other explorers also found archaeological evidence of ancient cities in the jungles of northern Brazil. Among them, the following stand out:

• Charles Frederick Hartt, an American paleontologist who found ruins of a city on the Xingu River;
• Clifford Evans, an American archaeologist who found ruins of a city on the Madeira River;
• Eduardo Galvão, a Brazilian anthropologist who found ruins of a city on the Tocantins River.

Archaeological research into these ancient cities is still ongoing. However, studies already carried out suggest that the northern Brazilian region was home to an advanced civilization that flourished thousands of years ago.