Uncovering archaeological landscapes at Angkor using lidar

Lidar technology has uncovered a vast, previously undocumented urban landscape at Angkor, revealing the intricate integration of major temples like Angkor Wat within a formally planned city. This groundbreaking discovery challenges the understanding of the Khmer Empire's medieval capitals (9th–15th centuries C.E.) and sheds light on the scale of anthropogenic landscape modifications. The study used airborne laser scanning to penetrate dense forest cover, creating high-precision digital elevation models that exposed hidden archaeological features. Additionally, the data support the hypothesis that infrastructural complexity, unsustainable subsistence practices, and climate variation played pivotal roles in the decline of classical Khmer civilization.

Evans, D. H., Fletcher, R. J., Pottier, C., Chevance, J.-B., Soutif, D., Tan, B. S., Im, S., Ea, D., Tin, T., Kim, S., Cromarty, C., De Greef, S., Hanus, K., Bâty, P., Kuszinger, R., Shimoda, I., & Boornazian, G. (2013). Uncovering archaeological landscapes at Angkor using lidar. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(31), 12595–12600. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1306539110