The international team of archaeologists has published a new map of a widespread ancient settlement surrounding Cambodia’s Angkor Wat that supports the fact that the area was once the center of one of the largest cities of the pre-industrialized world.
The study was carried out by Damian Evans, an archaeologist from archaeological computing laboratory at the University of Sydney and colleagues from Australia, Cambodia and France.
The research also sheds light on the extent to which the city sprawled and on its mysterious downfall. Researchers used ground-sensing radar provided by NASA and found evidence that the ancient Cambodian capital took up an area of nearly 1,000 square kilometers.
Using new radar technique, which senses differences in plant growth and soil moisture content created by topographical differences, 1,000 new manmade ponds and more than 70 long-lost temples were also identified.
Source: Reuters
