Data released Thursday revealed that ancient cities in the Pacific are a lot older than previously assumed by archaeologists and researchers.

Using aerial laser scans to map archaeological sites throughout the island on Tongatapu, Tonga, a research team from the Australian National University (ANU) is now suggesting the concept of urbanization actually started as an indigenous innovation prior to any Western influence, according to a statement published by ANU.

“Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around AD 300. This is 700 years earlier than previously thought,” the study’s lead author Phillip Parton, PhD, said in the statement. “As settlements grew, they had to come up with new ways of supporting that growing population. This kind of set-up – what we call low density urbanisation – sets in motion huge social and economic change. People are interacting more and doing different kinds of work.”

“Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around AD 300. This is 700 years earlier than previously thought.” Is it more likely that cities developed independently in the Pacific rather than this not actually being cities in any meaningful way? https://t.co/pESR7G8jnS pic.twitter.com/HzRVAKWx2C

— Wrath Of Gnon (@wrathofgnon) April 11, 2024

Ancient urbanization is a rapidly growing field of archaeology, particularly in parts of the world that Big Archaeology believes were completely underdeveloped and useless until Westerners gave them all their technologies.

Cities inhaled by the jungle have been revealed throughout Central and South America. Some of these were interconnected by massive transit systems, essentially seen as ancient highways, a study reportedly showed. But still, mainstream Big Archaeologists maintain that these ancient civilizations had no means of transport other than their feet. Apparently they needed massive roads despite the lack of horses or animals to ride (can you feel my eyes rolling at how stupid this notion is?).

Seems like the Mayan’s were more advanced than we thoughthttps://t.co/HSclntT6oL

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 17, 2023

Along with the Americas, history on human activity is now being pushed back throughout the Pacific. “Urbanisation is not an area that had been investigated much until now. When people think of early cities they usually think of traditional old European cities with compact housing and windy cobblestone streets. This is a very different kind of city,” Parton continued in the statement.

“But it shows the contribution of the Pacific to urban science. We can see clues that Tongatapu’s influence spread across the southwest Pacific Ocean between the 13th and 19th centuries,” he added. (RELATED: Archeologists’ Findings Prove We Need To Rewrite Human History)

What’s for sure is that there is still so much to be discovered. And if you’re fascinated with ancient history, you can’t do much better than Graham Hanock’s “Ancient Apocalypse” series on Netflix. It’ll show you what common sense folks are up against in the fight to reveal the truth of our ancient past.