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The Mystery of Angkor's Lost City Mahendraparvata
Description
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the recent rediscovery of Mahendraparvata, the ancient city founded by Jayavarman II on Phnom Kulen in 802 CE. They discuss how LiDAR technology revealed a sprawling urban grid hidden beneath dense jungle, challenging previous assumptions about the early Khmer Empire. The conversation covers the royal linga ceremony that established the devaraja cult, the city's sophisticated water management system, and the puzzling question of why such a massive capital was abandoned after just a century. Lucas explains the latest archaeological debates over Mahendraparvata's population estimates and its role in Angkor's later rise. The episode also touches on the environmental cost of building mountaintop cities and what the site's sudden decline might tell us about the empire's resilience.