Archaeologists use drone technology in the Amazon

Archaeologists looking for new geoglyphs and ancient agricultural fields are employing the use of drones equipped with Lidar technology.

The Amazon River Basin is the largest rainforest in the world, covering 40 percent of the South American continent. For at least 13,000 years ancient civilizations inhabited parts of the Amazon forests but just how they used the land remains largely unknown.

Now a team of international scientists plan to send a drone into the region to scan for answers. The project, which is funded by the European Research Council, hopes to shed some light on the ancient societies and their impact on the environment. DW spoke to Jose Iriarte, archeology professor at the University of Exeter, who’s leading the project.

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Story: DW | Photo: Survival International