<p>Today, we often see the Amazon basin as an endless expanse of trees and rainforest. But 2,000 years ago, at the same time that great cities like Rome, Athens and Alexandria were at their height, this massive area of South America was home to a huge range of landscapes, biodiversity and ancient Amazonian civilisations.</p><br><p>In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by author and journalist Laurence Blair - whose new book <em>Patria: Lost Countries of South America </em>is out today - to explore the extraordinary cultures that lived all across the ancient Amazon basin and unpack stories of agriculture, farming and fish-fuelled cities that go back 8,000 years.</p><br><p>Presented by Tristan Hughes. The audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, it was produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.</p><p><em>The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.</em></p><br><p><strong>Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up</strong><a href="https://historyhit.com/subscription" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong> <u>HERE</u></strong></a><strong> for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. </strong><a href="https://historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>https://historyhit.com/subscription</u></strong></a></p><br><p>You can take part in our listener survey <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
