A groundbreaking LiDAR survey in Northern Ghana has unveiled the remains of a previously unknown urban network dating back to the 1st century CE. The laser scans revealed thousands of raised agricultural fields, water management canals, and fortified residential clusters hidden beneath the savannah grass, pointing to a highly organized society with a population in the tens of thousands.
This 'Lost Savannah Civilization' appears to have thrived through sophisticated irrigation techniques and long-distance trade in gold and iron. Archaeologists believe these findings will radically alter the understanding of West African history, demonstrating that complex urbanism developed in the region far earlier than the emergence of the Ghana Empire.