I think the whole 'lost city' narrative for that new site in Peru is getting overhyped

Last month, everyone was going crazy about that LiDAR find in the Amazon basin near the Madre de Dios region. The headlines said it was a 'lost city' with 'thousands of structures'. But looking at the actual paper, the team only did a preliminary survey over about 15 square miles and identified maybe 20 potential platforms. That's a settlement, sure, but calling it a major city feels like a stretch for clicks. It reminds me of when every new mound gets called a 'pyramid'. I wish we'd dial back the excitement until the ground team actually starts digging. Has anyone else felt like the media jumps the gun on these stories?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithg2610d ago

Yeah, but that's how it always goes. They called Caral a city when they found it and it turned out to be a huge deal. The LiDAR shows a clear pattern, not just some random stuff. If we wait for a full dig to call it anything, the public just tunes out. A little hype keeps the grants coming in.

clairem8110d ago

But you have to start somewhere, right? That initial LiDAR pass showed a huge, organized layout with roads and big mounds, not just random huts. Even a few big platforms in that dense jungle points to a major hub we knew nothing about. Calling it a city gets people excited and, honestly, that hype might be what gets the money for a proper dig.