The Khmer Empire--sometimes called the Angkor Civilization--was a highly sophisticated state which gathered up hundreds of thousands of people in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Viet Nam between the 9th and 15th centuries AD. It abruptly collapsed in 1431: exactly why has always been a puzzle.
One of the over two hundred faces carved in the towers of Bayon, a 12th century Angkorian temple. The faces may be representations of Buddha, the bodhisattva Lokesvara, Angkorian King Jayavarman VII, who built the temple, or a combination. Image courtesy Mary Beth Day.Pieces of the puzzle have been assembled over the past decade, when members of the Greater Angkor Project collected geological, political, historical and economic evidence to come up with the solution: that the massively successful state level society, with a sophisticated hydrological system, road system, religious structure and trade network nevertheless collapsed within 50 years, primarily due to the effects of a prolonged drought and the state's inability to deal with climate change.
The latest article appears in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences today. The story makes for fascinating reading, and as this was a long weekend, I had plenty of time to get some substantial context assembled for you. Enjoy!
Further Information
Day MB, Hodell DA, Brenner M, Chapman HJ, Curtis JH, Kenney WF, Kolata AL, and Peterson LC. 2012. Paleoenvironmental history of the West Baray, Angkor (Cambodia). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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