A team of Australian archaeologists discovered a lost city with a 1200-year history in the jungle of Cambodia. Mahendraparvat is located in Siem Reap province on Mount Phnom Kulen, which is a place of pilgrimage for tourists. The city of the Khmer era appeared 350 years earlier than the Hindu complex of temples in Angkor Wat, writes the Australian newspaper The Age.
Before finding the ancient city, Damian Evans, director of the archaeological research center at Cambodia at the University of Sydney, who led the expedition, and his colleagues had to go through minefields, swamps and rivers. The group followed a map compiled using Lidar airborne laser scanning technology. Archaeologists have also discovered several previously unknown temples, roads and canals.
“Suddenly, a whole city appeared before us, the existence of which no one suspected. This is beyond words, ”says Evans, not hiding her amazement.
While scanning the area, the laser locator also found numerous hills scattered throughout the city. Presumably, these are temple and burial mounds. Archaeologists are trying to figure this out.
The Lidar system was first used in 2009 while exploring the ancient Mayan city (Belize, Central America). Later, the technology was applied in Stonehenge (England) and other parts of Europe. Laser scanning facilitates the exploration of archaeological sites from the air.
Researchers admit that a lot of work awaits them, because Lidar discovered only part of Mahendraparvata. The real size of the city remains to be seen.
“What we see is like the central part of the city. We have a lot of work to do to learn more about this civilization, ”says Evans.
Meanwhile, Curiosity continues to search for life on Mars.
The article is based on materials .
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