Ancient Amazonian Stone Structure Stuns Scholars

Scholars in the field of archaeoastronomy have used radiocarbon testing and measurements done over the winter solstice to determine that a culture indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon arranged a series of megaliths into an astronomical observatory around 1,000 years ago.  These findings directly contradict the earlier viewpoint that the Amazon had been relatively untouched by humans outside of small, nomadic tribes.  Some scholars now believe that the region supported a population of upwards of 10 million, prior to the wholesale slaughter of European occupation.

“The stones of Rego Grande are quite extraordinary and in their irregularity may have their own unique meaning, different from other megalithic sites around the world,” said John McKim Malville, a solar physicist at the University of Colorado who writes extensively on archaeoastronomy.

Malville emphasized that the field is moving away from focusing exclusively on astronomical functions to interpretations that are more holistic by including the importance of animism in Amazonian cultures.  This raises the possibility that these raised stones reflect the attribution of a soul to entities in nature and even inanimate objects, but there is no consensus within the scientific community at this point.

"We can only speculate what its stones mean,” added the physicist.

Source: New York Times