Radiocarbon Dates from Jar and Coffin Burials of the Cardamom Mountains Reveal a Unique Mortuary Ritual in Cambodia's Late- to Post-Angkor Period (15th–17th Centuries AD)

A unique mortuary ritual involving jar and coffin burials, practiced on exposed rock ledges in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia, is dated to between 1395 and 1650 AD. This highland burial practice, distinct from lowland Khmer culture, coincides with the decline of Angkor as the Khmer capital and the rise of new Mekong trade ports. The study, based on radiocarbon dating of 28 samples from four sites, reveals a previously unrecorded funerary tradition that shares similarities with rituals in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia but remains culturally isolated. The research sheds light on post-Angkorian mortuary practices and their regional context.

Beavan, N., Halcrow, S., McFadgen, B., Hamilton, D., Buckley, B., Sokha, T., Shewan, L., Sokha, O., Fallon, S., Miksic, J., Armstrong, R., O’Reilly, D., Domett, K., & Chhem, K. R. (2012). Radiocarbon Dates from Jar and Coffin Burials of the Cardamom Mountains Reveal a Unique Mortuary Ritual in Cambodia’s Late- to Post-Angkor Period (15th–17th Centuries AD). Radiocarbon, 54(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_js_rc.v54i1.15828