The fall of Angkor has long puzzled historians, archaeologists and scientists, but now a University of Sydney research team is one step closer to discovering what led to the city’s demise -- and it comes with a warning for modern urban communities.
The fall of Angkor has long puzzled historians, archaeologists and scientists, but now a University of Sydney research team is one step closer to discovering what led to the city’s demise -- and it comes with a warning for modern urban communities.
Built upon on a complex system of canals, water catchments and embankments, Angkor was once the largest city in the world, covering an area of approximately 1000km2. However, in the 15th Century it saw a massive population fall.
The multidisciplinary team of academics, researchers and students led by Professor Mikhail Prokopenko, Director of the Complex Systems Research Group, and Associate Professor Daniel Penny, Director of the Greater Angkor Project, found that the medieval city suffered external climate stress coupled with overloaded infrastructure within the canal system, which through in-depth mapping showed evidence of a vulnerability to catastrophic failures.
Professor Prokopenko believes that the study is crucial to improving infrastructure in an era of increasing frequent extreme weather events which are creating new and pressing risks to urban environments.
Read more at University of Sydney
Photo credit: falco via Pixabay
