Name: Ancient Builders of the Amazon
Uploaded: undefined
Duration: undefined

NOVA

Canada

United States

Northern Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

American Samoa

Guam

U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

US, US Territories, Canada

General - US & Territories

Recent discoveries in archaeology are exploding the myth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of ancient civilizations that flourished for centuries, with populations numbering in the millions.

Archaeological discoveries reveal traces of ancient civilizations in the Amazon.

Ancient Builders of the Amazon

The pyramid was built over 5,000 years ago, even before the pyramids of Egypt and Mesopotamia, a time when archeologists had believed the Amazon was populated only by hunter-gatherers.

This discovery rewrites the history of complex societies on the continent.

Ancient Pyramids Uncovered in the Amazon

Ancient Builders of the Amazon Preview

Ancient paintings on rock walls feature human figures and animals of today’s rainforest, like deer, tapirs, and jaguars. But they also appear to show animals that went extinct thousands of years ago.

The painted cliffs of La Lindosa open a window onto the lives of Ice Age Amazonians.

Ancient Cliff Paintings in the Amazon

Carlisle Companies

Viking

NOVA Science Trust Logo

Recent stunning discoveries are exploding the myth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of ancient civilizations that flourished there for centuries. Dense settlements indicate populations in the millions, supported by sophisticated agricultural systems, while huge geometric earthworks and roadways bear witness to complex religious ideas and social networks. The evidence is now clear that, far from being an untouched wilderness, the Amazon has been shaped by human hands for millennia. (Premiered February 15, 2023)

Archaeological discoveries reveal long-forgotten ancient civilizations in the Amazon.

Archaeological discoveries reveal long-forgotten ancient civilizations in the Amazon.

Ancient Worlds

US & Territories

Colossal explosions shake a remote corner of the Siberian tundra, leaving behind massive craters. In Alaska, a huge lake erupts with bubbles of inflammable gas. Scientists are discovering that these mystifying phenomena add up to a ticking time bomb, as long-frozen permafrost melts and releases vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. What are the implications of these dramatic developments in the Arctic? Scientists and local communities alike are struggling to grasp the scale of the methane threat and what it means for our climate future. (Premiered February 2, 2022)

In the Arctic, enormous releases of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, threaten the climate.

Arctic Sinkholes

The top half of Jupiter in blue and green against a night sky

A composite image of Jupiter using images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Judy Schmidt.

Explore the cosmos, delve into ancient history, and follow an extreme rescue with NOVA’s most-watched documentaries released in 2022.

NOVA’s most popular science documentaries of 2022

Four bright orange loops brand off of a dark blue blob

A transmission electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus particles (orange) replicating from the plasma membrane of an infected H9 T cell. Credit: NIAID, Flickr

Scientists have cured a handful of people of HIV by piggybacking on treatments they received for blood cancer. But does that bring a widespread cure any closer?

Ancient Builders of the Amazon

More Ways to Watch

Support Provided By

Explore More

Ancient Cliff Paintings in the Amazon

Ancient Builders of the Amazon

Ancient Pyramids Uncovered in the Amazon

Ancient Farmers of the Amazon

Ancient Amazonians Were Deft Environmental Engineers

Ancient Maya Metropolis

First Americans arrived at least 16,000 years ago, and probably by boat

These Artifacts and Foods Tie Modern Maya to the Past

More Ways to Watch

Transcript

Credits

Participants

Support Provided By

Explore More

Ancient Cliff Paintings in the Amazon

Ancient Builders of the Amazon

Ancient Pyramids Uncovered in the Amazon

Ancient Farmers of the Amazon

Ancient Amazonians Were Deft Environmental Engineers

Ancient Maya Metropolis

First Americans arrived at least 16,000 years ago, and probably by boat

These Artifacts and Foods Tie Modern Maya to the Past