SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Research archaeologists at Missouri State University are hoping to embark on an expedition to the Amazon Rainforest to find evidence of an ancient civilization.
Researchers at MSU and Terra Incognita Research Institute, Dr. Daniel Pierce and Chris Bodine, call this an “Indiana Jones” style archaeological research project and are hoping the public finds it as interesting as they do.
Dr. Pierce and Bodine have discovered geoglyphs through LiDAR that they believe to be ancient structures hidden deep within the rainforest. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging, and uses Laser pulses to create a 3D image that shows everything on the ground, even through dense rainforest.
The area where they have located these geoglyphs has never been explored archaeologically; now they need to see if they are correct by going to the Amazon and exploring these areas on foot. If they are correct, they could be the first to find evidence of the legendary lost city.
The research project is currently looking for the funds to make the trip. Dr. Peirce says there are no traditional grants or funding available through MSU, so they are crowdfunding this project.
“The fact that we’re doing this out of Missouri State here in Springfield, I think it’s really neat. It shines a light on the city, on the university.” Dr. Pierce said. “I mean, we’re biased, but I think it’s just that interesting that I think the public would be supportive of it, even if it’s just chipping in a few bucks here or there.”
Dr. Pierce says they want people to understand that a research project like this one doesn’t have to come from a big university or just be something that happens in movies.
Chris Bodine is an Ozarks native, graduating from Willard High School. He says this is an exciting development, and it is coming from his home area.
“I never thought that I would come back here to do this sort of stuff,” Bodine said. “But I moved back to Springfield and started working at Missouri State, and to have the opportunity to do this type of research that I, when I was younger, didn’t think I’d come from here and show other people that this type of stuff can be done from here. And then maybe people who are from the area don’t have to leave like I did, and they can do research here.”
They have reached about 10% of their goal, but are hoping enough people believe in the project as much as they do to get them to the Amazon to continue their research. If you are interested in donating, there is more information on their website.
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