This is a 2009 documentary from the History Channel on the new archaeological work going on at the Angkor site which has thrown so much light on this medieval civilisation.
With the help of new technologies that can look beneath the vegetation cover, and even below the earth level, it has been possible to expose the extent of the conurbation, which covered an area of about 1,000 sq km (bigger than New York).
The new work has been largely carried out by Australian archaeologists from the University of Sydney, and we see how these new discoveries have been pieced together, what impact that has had on ideas about the civilisation, and theories of its demise in the mid 15th century.
As with all ancient cultures the most important thing was always water, and the great civilisations of the ancient world were always hydraulic in nature, harnessing the water and allowing for growth and development of cities and civilisations.
The Angkor site however is exceptional in that the sheer size of the extended city outstrips any other city in the pre-industrial world by a factor of ten. The film uses computer imaging, reconstruction and interviews with the experts on the ground to bring a fascinating glimpse of the wonderful achievement that was Angkor.
if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)
to see a set of stills click on the date at the top of the embed below
