考古学家发现一个新文明 在中南美洲丛林
Ancient Lost World Found in Honduran Jungle
By FIONA KEATING: Subscribe to Fiona's RSS feed | May 12, 2013 4:44 PM GMT
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The Lost City of the Monkey God in Honduras is said to have dozens of
pyramids, similar to those built by the Mayans. (outravel.blogspot.com)
Archaeologists have discovered a lost civilisation deep in the jungles of
Central America.
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The lost world resembles a "vast tended garden" and lies inland from the
Mosquito Coast, an area known for swamps, poisonous plants and vipers that
leap at their prey.
The area was last explored over 70 years ago by Theodore Morde. The American
adventurer and spy emerged from the jungle in 1940, claiming to have found a
"lost city of the monkey god" with giant primate sculptures.
Morde also offered wild theories that sacrifices were made by local Indians
to a gigantic idol of an ape. However, he was killed in a car crash in London
before he could reveal the location of the lost kingdom.
Charles Lindburgh, the first pilot to fly the Atlantic solo, had suggested
that Morde explore the area, saying he had seen ruins of "an amazing ancient
metropolis" when flying across Central America.
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This week, at the annual meeting of the American Geo-physical Union in
Cancun, Mexico, scientists will describe how they found a number of towns and
dozens of 60ft-high pyramids. The site could date back to AD500.
According to Christopher Fisher, an archaeologist at Colorado State
University, the palaces may have been built by a civilisation other than the
Mayans and Aztecs, who were known for their human sacrifices.
Fisher and his colleagues are analysing aerial 3D images taken by using a
surveying camera that bombarded the canopy with 100,000 laser pulses a
second, according to the Sunday Times.
The equipment used is called "the LiDAR machine which basically can pierce
through the jungle's foliage and map whatsoever on the ground underneath,"
Douglas Peston, a writer for National Geographic told the New Yorker.
The expedition was organised by Steve Elkins, a Los Angeles filmmaker, who is
hoping to make a documentary about the ruins.
Elkins is keen to keep expectations in check, saying: There may be many
statues of monkeys, and half-human monkey gods, but if I see one the size of
King Kong I shall be, well, very surprised."