West Baray excavations reveal a seventh century temple

A French team of archaeologists have excavated the remains of a pre-Angkoran temple in the massive West Baray (reservoir) of Angkor.

Seventh century temple unearthed at West Baray
Phnom Penh Post, 01 March 2013

Archaeologists have unearthed one of the most significant pre-Angkorian temples to have been discovered in the past decades. What looks to be a seventh century temple has been found buried in the walls of the West Baray, a find which will shed light on the Pre-Angkorian period.

Since 2000, Christophe Pottier, a French archaeologist, has been working to find out more about the beginnings of the Angkorian empire.

“The beginning of Angkor is so poorly known for various reasons, partly because many early settlements were actually destroyed by later settlements during the Angkor period. My main concern on this archaeological mission was to study the earliest Angkorian capital cities,” Pottier told The Insider.

Full story here.