Manuscript 512 — Evidence of a Long-Lost Amazonian Civilization?

The idea that highly developed ancient civilizations inhabited the Amazonian rainforest has been a myth that has circulated among scholars and amateur archaeologists for more than a hundred years. In recent years, we have understood that the Amazon was indeed home to various cultures. Some of them were said to be highly developed. An example of this is the LiDAR scans that revealed structures built in the shape of the cosmos. We have found that the Amazon was far more populated than initially thought. And we know that the oldest pyramids on Earth were built in what is today Brazil.

What is Manuscript 512

First page of Manuscript 512. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. — The first page of Manuscript 512. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

But some stories speak of even more complex, lost civilizations. An example is Manuscript 512, now housed at the Brazilian National Library. It mentions a group of fearless explorers who ventured out into the heart of the Amazon around 1753. As the documents revealed, they came across a magnificent stone city, unlike anything their eyes had ever seen. As per the document, this ancient city was very different from the cities that existed during the time. In fact, and as described by the document, this mysterious city was home to architecture eerily similar to ancient Greek architecture. Moreover, as the explorers penned down, the walls were decorated by a writing system they had never before seen.

Curious details

The manuscript reveals many incredible details. It speaks of a large bag of gold coins discovered by the explorers in the ancient city. The coin is said to depict the silhouette of an archer bearing a crown. Furthermore, the manuscript reproduces the ancient writing on the city’s walls. According to many who have seen manuscript 512 close up, the writing seems to bear uncanny similarities to the Greek and Phenician alphabet.

But despite the manuscript’s incredible details, Brazilian mainstream archaeologists say its story is nothing but a myth. In fact, Brazilian archaeologists consider it to be the “greatest myth of national archeology.”