Greater Angkor Project

Greater Angkor Project
Name	Greater Angkor Project
Caption	Angkor Wat, part of the Angkor complex studied by multidisciplinary teams
Established	2007
Location	Siem Reap Province, Cambodia
Coordinates	13.4125°N 103.8667°E
Discipline	Archaeology, Remote sensing, Conservation
Leaders	Damian Evans, Chris Buckley

Greater Angkor Project

The Greater Angkor Project is a long-term, multidisciplinary research initiative focused on the archaeological, environmental, and historical study of the Angkor region surrounding Angkor Wat and the former Khmer capital of Angkor Thom in Siem Reap. Combining experts from institutions such as the École française d'Extrême-Orient, the University of Sydney, and the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the project integrates archaeological excavation, aerial survey, and landscape analysis to reassess the scale, chronology, and infrastructure of the medieval Khmer polity. Its work has reshaped understandings of urbanism in premodern Southeast Asia and influenced conservation practice at Angkor Archaeological Park.

Background and Objectives

The project was initiated to address questions raised by earlier investigations at Angkor Wat, Bayon, and peripheral sites such as Preah Khan and Banteay Kdei regarding population size, land use, and hydraulic management. Founders sought to test hypotheses proposed by researchers including Claude Jacques, Michael Vickery, and Jean Boisselier about the spatial extent of the Khmer capital and its interaction with landscapes like the Tonlé Sap floodplain. Primary objectives include mapping buried features, refining ceramic and inscriptional chronologies tied to rulers like Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII, and evaluating the role of waterworks—such as the Baray reservoirs—within Khmer urbanism. The project also aims to inform policy decisions by bodies like UNESCO and the World Monuments Fund regarding site protection.

Methodology and Technologies

Researchers combine traditional field archaeology—including stratigraphic excavation and artefact analysis—with advanced technologies such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and airborne synthetic aperture radar employed by teams from the University of Sydney and partners like National Geographic Society. Remote sensing outputs are integrated with Geographic Information Systems developed alongside the Royal University of Phnom Penh and the University of Cambridge to produce high-resolution topographic models. Chronological frameworks rely on radiocarbon dating tested at facilities linked to Australian National University laboratories and comparative ceramic seriation referencing collections in the National Museum of Cambodia and the Musée Guimet. Paleoenvironmental studies incorporate pollen analysis and sediment coring coordinated with researchers from Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the Smithsonian Institution.

Key Findings and Discoveries

LiDAR surveys led by project teams revealed previously unrecorded urban features, including dense networks of roads, canals, and small-scale mounds around Angkor Thom and outlying sites like Roluos and Koh Ker, supporting interpretations advanced by scholars such as David Chandler and Charles Higham about urban density. Excavations uncovered residential architecture and craft workshops that recalibrate population estimates once proposed by B.P. Groslier and indicate specialized industries near Phnom Bakheng. Sediment analyses have documented shifts in monsoon intensity with links to climatic events discussed by Megan H. Brewster and Paul J. Richards, while hydraulic studies detail operational sequences for reservoirs such as the West Baray, confirming engineering sophistication akin to water management in Angkorian inscriptions associated with monarchs including Jayavarman VII. Reassessment of inscriptional material in collaboration with epigraphers referencing corpora collected by George Coedès refined the chronology of temple construction and repair phases.

Conservation and Management Implications

Findings have significant implications for management by the APSARA Authority and international stakeholders such as ICOMOS. Mapping of vulnerable structural remains and buried landscapes has guided heritage zoning, buffer delineation, and visitor-flow planning around attractions like Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm. Data on hydrology and erosion inform interventions to stabilize museum collections at the Angkor Conservation Office and to design drainage strategies that reduce deterioration observed at monuments conserved by teams from the Getty Conservation Institute. The project’s work supports disaster risk reduction frameworks advocated by UNESCO World Heritage Centre and national policy instruments enacted by the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Collaborations and Funding

The initiative represents partnerships among the École française d'Extrême-Orient, the University of Sydney, the University of New England (Australia), the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and international funders including the National Geographic Society, the Australian Research Council, and private foundations. Collaborative fieldwork engages Cambodian institutions such as the Department of Museums and Archaeology and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, with technical cooperation from organizations like NASA and corporate partners supplying airborne survey platforms. Funding models mix competitive research grants, philanthropic contributions, and in-kind support from heritage organizations including UNESCO and the World Monuments Fund.

Impact on Angkor Research and Tourism

The project has catalyzed scholarly debates among historians, archaeologists, and environmental scientists, influencing monographs and articles published by presses associated with Cambridge University Press, Routledge, and journals such as the Journal of Archaeological Science. Its revelations have affected tourism narratives promoted by the Ministry of Tourism (Cambodia) and tour operators in Siem Reap, prompting adjustments in visitor management at popular sites like Angkor Wat and lesser-known temples such as Beng Mealea. The integration of high-resolution maps into interpretive materials has aided local education programs at institutions like the Royal University of Fine Arts and informed community-based heritage initiatives supported by NGOs including Conservation International.

Category:Archaeological projects in Cambodia