Abstract:
Most archaeological research on the Angkor civilization has focused on the capital, located in Siem Reap province and home to famous temples like Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm. However, the Angkor Empire controlled a large part of mainland Southeast Asia, including provincial zones in what is now Battambang Province. This presentation focuses on archaeological work conducted at one provincial location: the village of Baset in Battambang province. King Suryavarman I constructed a temple here in 1018 CE, yet inscriptions and archaeological investigations show that people lived in this area for hundreds of years before the temple was constructed. Our archaeological project, the Pteah Project, seeks to understand what daily life was like at Baset village before, during, and after temple construction. What kinds of activities were taking place? What were people eating and growing? What was the environment like? Did life change as this area became part of the Angkor Empire? I will present results from our archaeological research around Prasat Baset that seeks to answer these questions.

English