Demise Of Cambodian City Angkor Caused By Decline In Occupation And Not Abrupt Collapse

The causes of Angkor's demise in the 15th century has been long debated. Historical explanations have emphasized the role of aggressive neighboring states, and the abandonment of Angkor in 1431 A.D. has been portrayed as a catastrophic demographic collapse.

South gate of Angkor Thom. source

Now new scientific evidence shows that the intensity of land use within the economic and administrative center of the city declined gradually more than 100 years before the supposed collapse, implying a very different end to the city.

"Changes in land use leave tell-tale traces in sedimentary deposits that can be measured. Measuring these traces in drill-cores allows us to reconstruct what people were doing in the landscape over long periods of time," Associate Professor Dan Penny from the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences, said, in a press release.

Professor Dan Penny and his team examined sediment drill-cores extracted from the moat surrounding Angkor Thom, the last and largest of Angkor's walled citadels. The results show that evidence for forest disturbance, soil erosion and burning all declined in the first decades of the 14th century.

The decline in land-use in the commercial and administrative heart of the ancient city took place and by the end of the 14th century, the moat was covered in floating swamp vegetation, which indicates that it was no longer being maintained.

The findings propose that Angkor's demise was not a catastrophic collapse caused by the Ayutthayan invasion or by infrastructural failure, but a gradual demographic shift by the urban elite.

"Our study suggests the inhabitants didn't leave Angkor because the infrastructure failed, rather the infrastructure failed (or was not maintained or repaired) because the urban elite had already left," said Professor Penny.

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Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer