Laurence Blair

There's a very strong hint that terra preta has been around for millennia and has really been used by ancient Amazonians. It's kind of an ancient agricultural technology which locks carbon into the soil, actually, rather than releasing it to the atmosphere and potentially seems to have been producing food for many millions of people across the ancient Amazon.

Absolutely. I think that this is almost their secret source. It helps them get the edge and build these kind of towns and cities. And I think it's interesting that where you see these really, really thick deposits of terra preta is also where you see really dense deposits of ceramics and pottery and signs that people are really thriving. There's one spot I went to a few years ago.

Absolutely. I think that this is almost their secret source. It helps them get the edge and build these kind of towns and cities. And I think it's interesting that where you see these really, really thick deposits of terra preta is also where you see really dense deposits of ceramics and pottery and signs that people are really thriving. There's one spot I went to a few years ago.

Absolutely. I think that this is almost their secret source. It helps them get the edge and build these kind of towns and cities. And I think it's interesting that where you see these really, really thick deposits of terra preta is also where you see really dense deposits of ceramics and pottery and signs that people are really thriving. There's one spot I went to a few years ago.

It's called Teodonio. It's this quite small fishing village with brick bungalows on the Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon state called Rondônia. This has some of the most densely packed terra preta anywhere in the Amazon. If you think about hollow ways in the English countryside, you walk down these tracks and you have these big banks rising on either side of you.

It's called Teodonio. It's this quite small fishing village with brick bungalows on the Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon state called Rondônia. This has some of the most densely packed terra preta anywhere in the Amazon. If you think about hollow ways in the English countryside, you walk down these tracks and you have these big banks rising on either side of you.

It's called Teodonio. It's this quite small fishing village with brick bungalows on the Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon state called Rondônia. This has some of the most densely packed terra preta anywhere in the Amazon. If you think about hollow ways in the English countryside, you walk down these tracks and you have these big banks rising on either side of you.

It's studded with this pottery. And this actually seems to be one of the longest continually inhabited places on the planet, and actually a crucible of not only American civilization, by which I mean the Americas as a whole, but even world civilization. Because here you have ancestors of two indigenous groups, family groups, I suppose, called the Arawa and the Tupi-Guarani.

It's studded with this pottery. And this actually seems to be one of the longest continually inhabited places on the planet, and actually a crucible of not only American civilization, by which I mean the Americas as a whole, but even world civilization. Because here you have ancestors of two indigenous groups, family groups, I suppose, called the Arawa and the Tupi-Guarani.

It's studded with this pottery. And this actually seems to be one of the longest continually inhabited places on the planet, and actually a crucible of not only American civilization, by which I mean the Americas as a whole, but even world civilization. Because here you have ancestors of two indigenous groups, family groups, I suppose, called the Arawa and the Tupi-Guarani.

who kind of seem to almost originate from here. They're hunting, they're fishing, they're farming, they're domesticating wild plants and vegetables, fruits, developing new languages, and they're going on the move as well. The Arawak actually are especially intrepid navigators. We find their descendants and their people

who kind of seem to almost originate from here. They're hunting, they're fishing, they're farming, they're domesticating wild plants and vegetables, fruits, developing new languages, and they're going on the move as well. The Arawak actually are especially intrepid navigators. We find their descendants and their people

who kind of seem to almost originate from here. They're hunting, they're fishing, they're farming, they're domesticating wild plants and vegetables, fruits, developing new languages, and they're going on the move as well. The Arawak actually are especially intrepid navigators. We find their descendants and their people

in the Chaco Forest of Northern Paraguay, where I'm calling you today, the Orinoco Basin in Venezuela, Guyana, and in the Bahamas. And actually, it's their descendants, the Taino, who come across Columbus on Hispaniola in 1492. And we actually use Arawak and Taino words every day. You know, barbecue, canoe, hammock, hurricane, maize, potato, tobacco.

in the Chaco Forest of Northern Paraguay, where I'm calling you today, the Orinoco Basin in Venezuela, Guyana, and in the Bahamas. And actually, it's their descendants, the Taino, who come across Columbus on Hispaniola in 1492. And we actually use Arawak and Taino words every day. You know, barbecue, canoe, hammock, hurricane, maize, potato, tobacco.

in the Chaco Forest of Northern Paraguay, where I'm calling you today, the Orinoco Basin in Venezuela, Guyana, and in the Bahamas. And actually, it's their descendants, the Taino, who come across Columbus on Hispaniola in 1492. And we actually use Arawak and Taino words every day. You know, barbecue, canoe, hammock, hurricane, maize, potato, tobacco.

These are things which have their ultimate origin in the Amazon. And just to say a quick thing about the pottery which these people are producing, it's just prodigious. I went into this storeroom, this vault in Rondonia with two local archaeologists, and it's just packed to the rafters with crate after crate of this stuff. Cauldrons, vessels, urns for burying the dead.

These are things which have their ultimate origin in the Amazon. And just to say a quick thing about the pottery which these people are producing, it's just prodigious. I went into this storeroom, this vault in Rondonia with two local archaeologists, and it's just packed to the rafters with crate after crate of this stuff. Cauldrons, vessels, urns for burying the dead.

These are things which have their ultimate origin in the Amazon. And just to say a quick thing about the pottery which these people are producing, it's just prodigious. I went into this storeroom, this vault in Rondonia with two local archaeologists, and it's just packed to the rafters with crate after crate of this stuff. Cauldrons, vessels, urns for burying the dead.

It's polished, it's brightly painted. There are monkeys, there are serpents. I think the key thing to bear in mind, this isn't just crockery. This stuff is really crucial because it shows us that these aren't people who were scratching at living or kind of frozen in time.