New Discoveries at Cambodia’s Angkor

Photo by flydime, via Flickr (Creative Commons).

An international team of scientists using NASA satellite images, among other tools, has determined that the medieval city of Angkor was at least three times larger than previously thought—about the size of present-day Los Angeles.

“Analysis also lends weight to the theory that Angkor’s residents were architects of the city’s demise,” the BBC reports.

Said one of the scientists, “The large-scale city engineered its own downfall by disrupting its local environment by expanding continuously into the surrounding forests.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, a new map released Monday contains, “among other things, an additional 386 square miles of urban area, at least 74 long-lost temples and more than 1,000 newly recognized artificial ponds.”

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