Studying Angkor’s [...]]]> The ecological demise of ancient and modern Angkor is discussed here as several archaeologists (including Roland Fletcher, pictured here, who has earlier spoken here, here and here) are featured talking about how the tourism explosion at Siem Reap and the elevated drain on water resources are described as an ‘ecological time bomb’.

Studying Angkor’s demise, archeologists warn of repeating the past
CBC.ca, 17 February 2008

Conservationists have long expressed concerns about the state of the monuments, especially the stress from the tourist invasion. They also say the uncontrolled pumping of underground water to meet rising demand of hotels, guesthouses and residents in the adjoining town of Siem Reap may be destabilizing the earth beneath the centuries-old temples so much that they might sink and collapse.

Read the story here.

Related books:
- Khmer Civilization and Angkor by D. L. Snellgrove
- Angkor and the Khmer Civilization (Ancient Peoples and Places) by M. D. Coe
- The Civilization of Angkor by C. Higham
- Indochina by B. P. Groslier

The last stand The Hindu, 17 February 2008

Here, I learn my first lesson about “remote” and “mystical” Angkor. For a place rediscovered only in the 1860s, protected by a thick belt of jungle, virtually cut off until 1998 [...]]]> A this travel piece on Angkor, covering Phnom Bakheng, Ta Prohm and the Bayon.

The last stand
The Hindu, 17 February 2008

Here, I learn my first lesson about “remote” and “mystical” Angkor. For a place rediscovered only in the 1860s, protected by a thick belt of jungle, virtually cut off until 1998 due to a genocidal civil war, Angkor today lies on a road that is very well travelled. (“The world’s most crowded offbeat destination,” someone joked a couple of days later.) I guess I should have realised this when I passed the string of hotels that led to my own on the way from the airport. Or even before, when I spotted the Icelandair jet parked on the tarmac.

So then, I am not the only one with the sunset idea. Hundreds of others have planned to catch the last rays from the temple on the hill and I join the cheery chattering swarm on the way up. I make a list of nationalities from appearances, accents, dress and behaviour: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arab, American, Thai and the ubiquitous groups of Japanese.

Read the full story here.

Related books:
- Bayon Reconsidered by V. Roveda, O. Cunin and C. Jacques
- Angkor Cities and Temples by C. Jaques
- Ancient Angkor (River Book Guides) by C. Jaques
- Angkor: The Serenity of Buddhism

The site is currently in French, with the Khmer, Japanese and English pages [...]]]> From the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia comes a new website, CISARK – Carte Interactive des Sites Archeologiques Khmers. It details Khmer archaeological sites, not only in Cambodia, but spanning Thailand, Laos and Vietnam as well.

The site is currently in French, with the Khmer, Japanese and English pages still under construction. But there’s a good links page to other sites related to the archaeology of Khmers and Cambodia. (I’ll incorporate those links on our links page soon, too.)

The gilded kingdom The Nation, 03 February 2008

Creative Commons image by Hintz Family

Army warns dispute could have repercussions Bangkok [...]]]> A minor furore erupted when a spokesman for the Thai defence ministry spoke out on the ongoing dispute about management of the Preah Vihear temple, which resides on Cambodian soil but is only accessible through the Thai side of the border.

Creative Commons image by Hintz Family

Army warns dispute could have repercussions
Bangkok Post, 25 January 2008
Note: Link is no longer available

Military bungles over Preah Vihear
Nation Multimedia, 26 January 2008

The World Court has judged the ancient ruins as being part of Cambodia. However, the two countries have not come to a demarcation agreement on some immediate border areas around the sanctuary.

Lt-Gen Pichasanu said the World Heritage listing could lead to the disputed areas being annexed by Cambodia which, he said, has tried to rally international support for the sanctuary to be
given Heritage status.

The editorial on the Nation speaks out against the Defence ministry’s comment.

Related Books:
- Art & Architecture of Cambodia (World of Art) by H. I. Jessup
- Angkor Cities and Temples by C. Jaques
- Angkor: Cambodia’s Wondrous Khmer Temples, Fifth Edition by D. Rooney and P. Danford
- Angkor: A Tour of the Monuments by T. Zephir and L. Invernizzi
- Cambodian Architecture: Eighth to Thirteenth Centuries (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik) by J. Dumarcay and P. Royere

Cambodian History Writ Large At Angkor Wat Wall Street Journal, 25 January 2008

One of the largest religious structures in the [...]]]> The Wall Street Journal’s Leslie Hook writes about the history and architecture of the fabulous Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat. You can read SEAArch’s Adventures in Angkor series on Angkor Wat as well.

Cambodian History Writ Large At Angkor Wat
Wall Street Journal, 25 January 2008

One of the largest religious structures in the world, and the only religious monument to appear on a national flag, Angkor Wat has become synonymous with Cambodia at its most powerful — when it was the seat of the Khmer Empire, stretching from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal. The monumental scale of the temple has the same effect on visitors today as when it was first built. Angkor Wat has but a single approach: a wide stone causeway more than a third of a mile long (that’s as long as six football fields end-to-end). The entry walkway crosses a moat 600 feet wide (my guide assures me it used to be filled with crocodiles) and ends at a wall and gates leading into the center of the compound. The central compound covers about 400 acres and once supported a town of about 100,000 people.

Read the full story here.

Read more about Angkor Wat in:
- Angkor Cities and Temples by C. Jaques
- Angkor Wat: Time, Space, and Kingship by E. Mannikka
- Angkor: Cambodia’s Wondrous Khmer Temples, Fifth Edition by D. Rooney and P. Danford
- Angkor Wat and cultural ties with India by K. M. Srivastava
- Apsarases at Angkor Wat, in Indian context by K. M. Srivastava
- Khmer Mythology: Secrets Of Angkor Wat by V. Roveda
- Of Gods, Kings and Men: The Reliefs of Angkor Wat

Archaeological find dates back Khmer civilization by six [...]]]> You gotta hand it to the Japanese – after they found the so-called ‘warrior women’ burials last year, they seem to have made another spectacular discovery: man-made water channels dating to the first century, reminiscent of the sophisticated water management system used in Angkor 600 years later.

Archaeological find dates back Khmer civilization by six to eight centuries
ANI by way of The Japan News Net, 22 January 2008

Japanese archaeologists uncover 1st century water site in Cambodia
AP by way of Breitbart.com, 21 January 2008

You’ll probably have to sift through some hype here – it may be a bit of a stretch to say that the Khmer civilization, and by inference Angkor, was 800 years older than originally expected. For one, we can’t say if the ritual water channel found in this discovery was used the same way as the water channels in Angkor – in fact, we can’t say for sure if the builders of the 1st century mounds were the same ‘civilisation’ as Angkor.

My guess is we’re seeing a proto-Khmer civilisation developing, a pre-Angkoran stage where these ritual use of sacred mounds and water channels will eventually syncretise with Hinduism and Buddhism in later centuries. Studies into pre-classical period Cambodia is not new, and the more prominent Origins of Angkor project comes to mind when thinking about studies in the period before Angkor. I think the discovery of the new water channel mound surely adds a new dimension to how Angkor came to develop and how foreign cultural influences blended with local beliefs and practices.

Related Books:
- A History of Cambodia by D. P. Chandler
- Angkor and the Khmer Civilization (Ancient Peoples and Places) by M. D. Coe
- The Civilization of Angkor by C. Higham
- The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia: From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor by C. Higham
- Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia

A journey back in time The Nation Multimedia, 22 January 2008

Surat Lertlum, the archaeologist from [...]]]> Last year, I featured the Living Angkor Road Project, a collaboration between Thai and Cambodian archaeologists to chart the ancient road between Angkor and Phimai. The project is now in its second phase, with an updated website.

A journey back in time
The Nation Multimedia, 22 January 2008

Surat Lertlum, the archaeologist from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy who initiated and leads the project, said archaeological and anthropological knowledge, geo-informatics technology, information technology, and geo-physics technology were utilised to identify the ancient road from Angkor to Phimai that was mentioned in the inscriptions by King Jayavarman VII.

The first step was to identify the historic road and human settlement of the Khmer empire to show how the people lived and how the country looked in the past. Stone bridges, dharmashala (rest houses) and arogyashala (hospitals) were sought out.

Read the full story here. Visit the Lving Angkor Road Project website here.

Read more here:
- Angkor and the Khmer Civilization (Ancient Peoples and Places) by M. D. Coe
- The Civilization of Angkor by C. Higham
- Phimai: Prasat Phiman (River Books guides) by M. Freeman
- Guide to Phimai and Antiquities in the Province of Nakhon Ratcha Sima by N. M. Vallibhotama