Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Angkor's Water Crisis: The Canal System That Failed
Description
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the role of water management in the collapse of the Khmer Empire. They discuss the intricate canal and reservoir system (baray) that sustained Angkor for centuries, and how climate change—specifically prolonged droughts followed by intense monsoons—caused the system to fail. The conversation touches on recent findings from the Greater Angkor Project, including tree ring data and sediment cores that reveal a period of unstable weather in the 14th and 15th centuries. Lucas explains how the breakdown of the water network led to food shortages, political instability, and eventually the abandonment of Angkor in favor of Phnom Penh. The episode also covers the role of the Tonle Sap lake and the Siem Reap River, and how the Khmer's reliance on a centralized water system made them vulnerable to environmental shifts. No prior episodes have focused on this specific environmental angle.