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When the Monsoon Failed: Angkor's Last Great Drought
Season 3
Episode 130
Published 1 month, 1 week ago
Description
In the late 14th century, the Khmer Empire faced a climatic catastrophe: a decades-long drought that crippled Angkor's sophisticated water management system. This episode explores how the failure of the monsoon rains, combined with deforestation and siltation, turned the city's life-giving barays into stagnant death traps. We walk through the evidence from tree rings, lake sediments, and the famous Angkor Wat moat, then trace how the drought triggered famine, revolt, and the final abandonment of Yasodharapura. Along the way, we meet King Ponhea Yat, who fled to Phnom Penh, and the Ayutthayan armies that dealt the death blow to a city already dying of thirst.