Angkor Archaeological Site

Cambodia · Siem Reap

Ancient cityIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 1992
Approximate period800 CE — 1,500 CEAngkor period; main urban phase See on the map ↓

In brief

Angkor is an extensive Khmer urban area containing residential areas, roads and water structures as well as temples. Excavations around Angkor Wat and Srah Srang have yielded tangible finds relating to religious practices and later periods of use.

What was found?

  • 1Buddha statue fragments

    The fragments found buried near Angkor Wat belong to depictions of the Buddha dating to the 12th–19th centuries. According to researchers, their presence together suggests that they were placed here during a single event in the recent past.

  • 2Stone turtles

    A pair of stone turtles was found during the excavation of the stone structure in the middle of the Srah Srang pool. Their location provides an important context for investigating the structure's use.

  • 3Quartz crystals

    Numerous colorless quartz crystals were uncovered during the Srah Srang excavation. Assessment of this deposit, found together with statue fragments and metal objects, is ongoing.

  • 4Three- and five-pronged bronze objects

    Three- and five-pronged objects made of bronze were found at Srah Srang. They are part of the assemblage of metal artifacts associated with the structure in the pool.

  • 5Wooden structural remains

    Wooden remains were identified at the base of the stone structure at Srah Srang. This find shows that wood was used alongside stone in its construction.

What does it point to?

Angkor's temples, water structures, and city plans indicate strong social organization. Depictions of the Buddha from different centuries show that the site's religious life was not limited to the Angkor period.

What did it teach us?

  1. It showed that Angkor was a vast ensemble of cities containing pools, embankments, canals, and roads alongside temples.
  2. It revealed that the stone structure at Srah Srang also contained wooden components.
  3. It documented that fragments of Buddha statues from different centuries were buried together at Angkor Wat.

Images

Angkor Wat W-Seite
Manfred Werner (talk · contribs) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In 2020, an excavation lasting approximately 50 days at Angkor Wat recovered approximately 300 Buddha statue fragments dating to the 12th–19th centuries.

Record

Culture
Khmer
Team / historical
APSARA National Authority and international joint research teams
Coordinates
13.4389°, 103.8678°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. whc.unesco.org
  3. seameo-spafa.org
  4. apsaraauthority.gov.kh

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