Lidar Scans Rewrite History of Khmer Empire

For centuries, the grandeur of the Khmer Empire's capital was understood primarily through its monumental stone temples. However, the everyday lives of its people, who resided in wooden structures along extensive road networks, remained largely invisible due to the decay of these perishable materials. This historical narrative has been transformed by airborne laser scanning (lidar) technology.

Initial lidar surveys in 2012 mapped previously unseen roadways, canals, and building foundations, significantly expanding the known city center of Angkor. Subsequent, larger-scale surveys in 2015 revealed an even more extensive urban sprawl, connecting major temples to residential districts via a complex road system and sophisticated water management networks. Thousands of subtle ground indications confirmed the presence of former wooden dwellings on raised platforms.

These discoveries suggest Angkor's population may have reached between 750,000 and a million people, comparable to major global cities of its era. The expanded understanding of the empire's residential and infrastructural footprint is also prompting new theories about its decline, possibly linked to unsustainable pressure on its agricultural base due to population growth.