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The buried ‘towers’ of Angkor Wat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2015

Till F. Sonnemann ,
Dougald O'Reilly ,
Chhay Rachna ,
Roland Fletcher  and
Christophe Pottier
Till F. Sonnemann
Affiliation:
Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Van Steenis Building, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands (Email: tillsonnemann@hotmail.com)
Dougald O'Reilly
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia (Email: dougald.oreilly@anu.edu.au)
Chhay Rachna
Affiliation:
Angkor International Centre of Research and Documentation, APSARA National Authority, Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia (Email: chhayrachna@gmail.com)
Roland Fletcher
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney, Quadrangle Building A14, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia (Email: roland.fletcher@sydney.edu.au)
Christophe Pottier
Affiliation:
l'École française d'Extrême-Orient, The Bangkok Centre, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Center, 20 Borommaratchachonnani Road, Bangkok 10170, Thailand (Email: pottiersydney@gmail.com)
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Abstract

The impressive architecture of Angkor Wat conveys a sense of harmonious design, but recent survey using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), coupled with targeted excavation, reveals a more complex picture. Fragmentary traces of a quincunx of earlier towers have been detected, which were partially demolished when the outer enclosure and western gateway were completed. Are these the remains of a shrine used during the construction period? If so, they throw new light on associated ritual activity during the building of Angkor Wat.

Keywords

Southeast AsiaCambodiaAngkorground-penetrating radar
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 89 , Issue 348 , December 2015 , pp. 1420 - 1438
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2015 

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