Scientists have discovered a lost city in the jungle of Cambodia

Researchers have rediscovered the ancient city of the Khmer Empire, which for centuries has been hidden by the lush jungle in the territory of modern Cambodia.

A city called Mahendraparvat, sometimes called the “lost city of Cambodia”, was the first capital of the Khmer empire, a Hindu-Buddhist country in Southeast Asia, which lasted from the 9th to the 15th centuries AD.

Archaeologists and historians have been aware of the existence of Mahendraparvat for many decades, but the surviving archaeological evidence of this Angkor city has so far been scarce.

In a new article, which collected the results of a long-term research campaign, the international team published what they say is the most accurate identification of the capital of early Angkor, the data was collected thanks to airborne laser scanning (LIDAR).

The research team mapped an expanded city network, which they say dates back to the 9th century, located on the Phnom Kulen plateau, northeast of Angkor city.

“The mountainous region of Phnom Kulen has received amazingly little attention to date. It is almost completely absent on archaeological maps, except for points that indicate the remains of some temples, ”the researchers, led by the first author and archaeologist Jean-Baptiste Shevans of the Archeology Foundation in the UK, explain.

As part of the research work, which began in 2012 and continued until 2017, the team was able to see thousands of previously unknown objects through layers of vegetation and dirt. It turned out that the city network covers about 50 square kilometers.

“Numerous elements of the anthropogenic landscape are connected to this wider network, which involves the development of a common urban plan. “Dams, reservoir walls and fences of temples, quarters and even the royal palace adjoin or coincide with bulk linear elements,” the researchers explain.

Despite the complex design and sophistication of the lost city project, it did not exist for long. In subsequent years, the Khmer Empire moved its center to the new capital, Angkor, possibly due to better conditions for growing food.