The ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia has fascinated scholars and
visitors alike since its rediscovery in the mid-19th century. The beauty
and multiplicity of the sculptures that adorn its temples and structures
are striking, its sheer size overwhelming--in the archaeological world,
nothing equals it. This concise but complete and authoritative survey of
Khmer culture has now been thoroughly updated to incorporate new
discoveries that will completely rewriting history.
Although archaeologists and scholars have done pioneering work on the
history of Angkor and the Khmer civilization that built it, questions
remained. Recently, however, our knowledge has been revolutionized by
cutting-edge technology: airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) has revealed
previously unkown details about cities, revealing a complex urban
landscape with highways and waterways. These discoveries profoundly
transform our assumptions about the development and supposed decline of
Angkor. In this new edition, respected archaeologist Michael Coe is
joined by Damian Evans, who led this remarkable program of scientific
exploration, to present for the first time in book form the results and
implications of these groundbreaking revelations.
