At the time of the invasion, the land around Panyou was mostly swamp, forested with cypress trees. People had lived there for thousands of years, and had been growing rice for about 2,000 years.

The study says a nearby cypress in the same river swamp is at least 2,088 years old. Scientists believe other, unsampled 2,000-plus-year-old trees exist along the 66-mile-long stream.

The study says a nearby cypress in the same river swamp is at least 2,088 years old. Scientists believe other, unsampled 2,000-plus-year-old trees exist along the 66-mile-long stream.

The study says a nearby cypress in the same river swamp is at least 2,088 years old. Scientists believe other, unsampled 2,000-plus-year-old trees exist along the 66-mile-long stream.

The discovery of a 2,624-year-old tree in a North Carolina swamp proves that America's bald cypress trees are the fifth-longest-living tree species on Earth.