2015 Surveys Show Angkor Wat's Precinct Was Larger and Not Only for the Elite
Lidar finds low-density housing around the temple and a mysterious 1,500-meter structure to its south
Quick facts
- Researchers
- Roland Fletcher, Damian Evans
- Method
- Lidar, ground-penetrating radar, excavation
- Publication
- Antiquity journal, 2015
What happened
A 2015 survey by University of Sydney archaeologists Roland Fletcher and Damian Evans, using lidar, ground-penetrating radar, and excavation, found that Angkor Wat's surrounding precinct was far larger and more populated than previously understood. The team discovered a grid of roads, ponds, and house mounds indicating ordinary residential occupation around the temple, not just a sacred zone reserved for royalty and priests, and identified an ensemble of buried towers built and later demolished during the temple's construction period. To the south they found a massive structure over 1,500 by 600 meters whose purpose remains unknown and which has no known equivalent anywhere else at Angkor.
Why it matters
The finding challenges the older assumption that the area immediately around Angkor Wat was reserved exclusively for the wealthy or priestly elite, and it is a direct example of how ongoing archaeology keeps revising basic facts about a site people have studied for over a century.
How we know
The 2015 findings were published in the journal Antiquity and are based on lidar, ground-penetrating radar, and targeted excavation carried out by the University of Sydney's Angkor Research Program.
Sources
- The University of Sydney. New discoveries redefine Angkor Wat's history · Reputable sourcesydney.edu.au · The domain "sydney.edu.au" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- The University of Sydney. New discoveries redefine Angkor Wat's history · Reputable sourcesydney.edu.au · The domain "sydney.edu.au" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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