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Angkor's Wooden Palaces: The Lost Architecture of the Khmer Empire
Description
In this episode of The Khmer Empire's Sudden Collapse Explained, hosts Lucas and Luna explore why virtually nothing remains of the wooden palaces and houses that once filled Angkor's vast urban landscape. While the stone temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom survived, the royal palace at Angkor Thom, the homes of the elite, and the sprawling wooden suburbs have vanished without a trace. Lucas explains how the Khmer elite built in precious hardwoods like ironwood and rosewood, while commoners used bamboo and thatch on low stilts. He describes the Palace of the Celestial King mentioned by Zhou Daguan, the Chinese envoy who visited Angkor in 1296, and the astronomical loss of architectural knowledge when Ayutthayan armies sacked Yasodharapura in 1431. The hosts discuss how modern archaeology, including LiDAR surveys and the Greater Angkor Project, has only begun to recover traces of these wooden structures through postholes, iron nails, and ceramic roof tiles. The episode also raises the question: did the destruction of wooden palaces accelerate the empire's collapse by eroding the symbolic power of the king? Finally, they touch on the recent efforts of Cambodian and international teams to reconstruct a small wooden pavilion at Angkor Thom using traditional techniques.