Huge ancient city found in the Amazon

It changes what we thought we knew about societies in the Amazon

The city is believed to have been built 2,500 years ago, and hosted people for 1,000 years.

Archaeologists found homes and plazas in the area which is said to have hosted 10,000 people.

Located in the shadow of a volcano, this is thought to be a potential reason for the ancient city's decline.

However, it is also an indication of why it is located in the area, as it helped make the soils fertile for farming.

"This is older than any other site we know in the Amazon. We have a Eurocentric view of civilisation, but this shows we have to change our idea about what is culture and civilisation," Prof Stephen Rostain said, who led the research for France's National Centre for Scientific Research.

His co-author, Antoine Dorison, said: "It changes the way we see Amazonian cultures. Most people picture small groups, probably naked, living in huts and clearing land - this shows ancient people lived in complicated urban societies."

Dr Dorison added that the straight roads are one of the most incredible parts of their discovery.

"The road network is very sophisticated. It extends over a vast distance, everything is connected. And there are right angles, which is very impressive," he said.

He added that he believed some of the roads have a "very powerful meaning" linked to the civilisation's beliefs.

University of Florida's Michael Heckenberger said the discovery shows a "very dense occupation and an extremely complicated society."

"For the region, it’s really in a class of its own in terms of how early it is," he added.