Life goes on: Archaeobotanical investigations of diet and ritual at Angkor Thom, Cambodia (14th–15th centuries CE)

Archaeobotanical analysis of Angkor Thom, Cambodia, reveals that despite the city's decline in the 14th and 15th centuries CE, its inhabitants maintained their daily lives centered around rice cultivation and consumption, supplemented by non-indigenous pulses. The study, the first of its kind in Cambodia using macroremains—both charred and desiccated—provides evidence of ritual use of economic crops, supported by inscriptions, texts, and historical ethnography. This demonstrates the resilience of Angkor’s population during a period of significant change.

Castillo, C. C., Polkinghorne, M., Vincent, B., Suy, T. B., & Fuller, D. Q. (2018). Life goes on: Archaeobotanical investigations of diet and ritual at Angkor Thom, Cambodia (14th–15th centuries CE). The Holocene, 28(6), 930–944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683617752841