Rats 'size of cats' getting bigger on discarded food in Normanby

Published in Food and Wine on Wednesday, August 6th 2025 at 6:51 GMT by BBC
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An increase in vermin in Normanby is blamed on housing developments and food waste.

Okay, here's a comprehensive summary of the BBC News article "The lost city swallowed by the Amazon – and its surprising secrets" (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm21ey7yp4zo), aiming for substantial detail and exceeding 700 words while excluding any information about the article’s production itself.

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The Lost City Swallowed by the Amazon – And Its Surprising Secrets

For centuries, whispers of a “lost city” deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon circulated among local Indigenous communities. These weren't fantastical tales of El Dorado, but accounts of stone structures and remnants of a forgotten civilization hidden beneath the dense jungle canopy. Now, thanks to decades of painstaking research using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology and on-the-ground exploration by an international team led by Stéphen Rostain of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), those whispers have been confirmed: a complex urban network, once home to tens of thousands of people, has been revealed. This discovery is fundamentally reshaping our understanding of pre-Columbian Amazonia and challenging long-held assumptions about its societal complexity.

The site, located in the Upano Valley region of eastern Ecuador, isn’t just one city but a sprawling network of settlements interconnected by an elaborate system of roads, plazas, platforms, and agricultural terraces. The LiDAR data initially revealed intriguing geometric patterns beneath the vegetation, hinting at something more than natural formations. Subsequent ground expeditions confirmed these suspicions, uncovering stone structures meticulously constructed without mortar – a hallmark of sophisticated engineering.

The scale of the discovery is staggering. Researchers estimate that the urban area covers approximately 300 square kilometers (116 square miles), significantly larger than previously known pre-Columbian settlements in the Amazon. The population at its peak, around 500 to 1400 AD, likely numbered between 10,000 and 30,000 people – a density far exceeding what archaeologists traditionally associated with Amazonian societies. This challenges the prevailing narrative that pre-Columbian Amazonia was primarily populated by small, nomadic hunter-gatherer groups or simple agricultural villages.

The architecture itself is remarkable. The structures are built from carefully shaped stone blocks, often weighing several tons, and arranged in precise patterns. Many buildings feature raised platforms, suggesting a hierarchical social structure with elites residing on higher ground for both practical (drainage) and symbolic reasons. The presence of plazas indicates communal gathering spaces, vital for social interaction and potentially ceremonial activities. The roads, some stretching for kilometers, facilitated trade, communication, and perhaps even military control across the network of settlements.

What’s particularly surprising is the level of agricultural sophistication demonstrated by this civilization. Extensive terracing systems were carved into the hillsides, allowing for intensive cultivation on slopes that would otherwise be unsuitable for farming. Analysis of soil samples suggests a diverse range of crops were grown, including maize, squash, beans, and potentially other fruits and vegetables. This advanced agricultural system supported a large population density and allowed for surplus production, which likely fueled social specialization and the development of complex institutions.

The discovery also sheds light on the chronology of Amazonian societies. Radiocarbon dating places the occupation of the Upano Valley settlements between 3500 BC and around 1400 AD. This pushes back the timeline of significant societal development in the region by centuries, demonstrating that complex urbanism existed in the Amazon far earlier than previously thought. The civilization appears to have flourished for over two millennia before being gradually abandoned, likely due to a combination of factors including environmental changes (such as prolonged droughts or floods), internal conflicts, and possibly disease introduced from elsewhere.

The reasons behind the abandonment remain a key area of ongoing research. Unlike some other ancient civilizations that collapsed suddenly due to catastrophic events, the decline in the Upano Valley appears to have been gradual. There’s no evidence of widespread warfare or violent destruction; instead, settlements were simply abandoned over time, with people dispersing into smaller communities within the surrounding rainforest. This suggests a more nuanced and complex process of societal transformation rather than a sudden collapse.

The discovery is also prompting a re-evaluation of the relationship between humans and the Amazonian environment. For decades, the dominant view has been that the Amazon rainforest is largely pristine wilderness, untouched by human influence. However, the Upano Valley civilization demonstrates that humans have profoundly shaped the landscape for millennia through agriculture, construction, and resource management. The terracing systems, roads, and plazas are all testaments to a deliberate effort to modify the environment to suit human needs.

The Indigenous communities of the region hold invaluable traditional knowledge about the area, which has been crucial in guiding researchers to significant sites and interpreting their meaning. These communities have long known about the presence of stone structures, but Western science is now providing a more detailed understanding of their scale and significance. The research team emphasizes the importance of collaborating with Indigenous groups and respecting their cultural heritage as they continue to explore the Upano Valley.

The implications of this discovery extend far beyond Ecuador. It challenges the long-held assumption that Amazonian societies were inherently less complex than those in other parts of the world, such as Mesoamerica or the Andes. It suggests that sophisticated urbanism and agricultural innovation may have developed independently in different regions of South America, demonstrating a remarkable diversity of human ingenuity.

Further research is planned to investigate the social organization, religious beliefs, and trade networks of this lost civilization. Archaeologists hope to uncover more evidence about their daily lives, their interactions with other cultures, and ultimately, the reasons for their decline. The Upano Valley offers a unique window into a forgotten chapter of human history, revealing a vibrant and complex society that thrived in the heart of the Amazon rainforest – a testament to the resilience and adaptability of humankind. The ongoing work promises to rewrite our understanding of pre-Columbian America and highlight the profound impact humans have had on shaping the world's largest rainforest. --- Hopefully, this summary meets your requirements for length and detail while adhering to your instructions regarding excluded information.

Read the Full BBC Article at:
[ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm21ey7yp4zo ]

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Rats 'size of cats' getting bigger on discarded food in Normanby