Settlements that are about 2.5 thousand years old have been discovered in Ecuador.

MOSCOW, January 12 Scientists have discovered a network of settlements founded at least 2.5 thousand years ago in the Amazon forests of Ecuador, the scientific journal Science reported.
The excavations in the area were reportedly carried out by a team of archaeologists led by Stéphane Rostaing from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Ecuador's National Institute of Cultural Heritage sponsored a lidar survey of the area, resulting in Rosten's team discovering settlements that were a thousand years older than previous discoveries in the Amazon forest. According to radiocarbon dating data, people lived in settlements in the Upano Valley from approximately the 5th century BC to the 3rd-6th centuries AD, the magazine writes.

«»A dense network of interconnected cities that are hidden in the forests of the Upano Valley in Ecuador has been discovered using laser mapping. The settlements… at least at least 2.5 thousand years old,” the magazine writes.
It is noted that the team discovered five large and 10 small settlements in an area of ​​300 square kilometers in the Upano Valley.

It is added that in each settlement there are traces of many residential and ceremonial buildings. The network of roads connecting the settlements indicates that they existed at the same time.