In a groundbreaking application of LiDAR technology in Central Africa, researchers have mapped a massive 1,500-year-old fortified settlement deep within the Congo Basin. The site, belonging to the Early Iron Age Bantu migration period, features a series of concentric defensive earthworks and a central citadel spanning over 50 hectares. This is the first time such a large-scale, permanent defensive structure has been identified in the region's rainforest environment.
The mapping reveals a sophisticated hydraulic defensive system that diverted river water into moats surrounding the settlement. Ground-truthing expeditions have uncovered iron smelting furnaces and large-scale grain storage pits, suggesting the fortress served as a regional administrative center for controlling agricultural trade routes. This discovery significantly alters the historical timeline of state formation and military architecture in sub-Saharan Africa, proving the existence of complex political entities much earlier than previously thought.