Scientists discover 417 ancient cities in Guatemala's jungles

Doha, Qatar: In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unearthed 417 ancient cities buried beneath 1,350 square miles of dense jungle in northern Guatemala. 

The cities date back to around 1000 B.C., and are interconnected with nearly 110 miles of primitive 'superhighways' that researchers have dubbed “the world's first freeway system.”

Archaeologists predict that this finding could potentially rival the significance of the Great Pyramid of Giza in terms of its importance to human history, according to The Washington Post.

Photo displaying "The Mayan Causeway", Image credit: Instagram / miradorbasinproject

The extensive network of roads and cities, accompanied by intricate ceremonial complexes, hydraulic systems, and agricultural infrastructure, indicates a civilization much more advanced than initially believed.

Scientists using lidar technology since 2015 to map the area said that they have found evidence of an economically, politically, and socially organized system in operation around 2000 years ago. The lidar technology works by transmitting millions of infrared laser pulses from the air, which rebound off the ground and create detailed 3D images of structures hidden under the jungle. 
Image credit: Instagram / miradorbasinproject

After digitally erasing the trees that shroud the area, lidar images disclosed ancient dams, reservoirs, pyramids, and ball courts. 

These revelations may prompt a reconsideration of our understanding of the ancient Maya civilization, which extended across what is now known as Central America. 

The Washington Post quoted Dr. Richard D. Hansen, lead author of a study about the finding, as saying this revelation would prompt a rethink of widely held beliefs about the mid-to-late Preclassic Maya civilization’s (1000 B.C. to A.D. 250) “roving bands of nomads, planting corn.”

"The evidence of a complex society already existing around 1000 B.C. reveals an entirely new chapter of human history we were previously oblivious to," Dr. Richard's study concluded.