Angkor Wat Wasn’t Just a Temple — It Was a Water City That Failed

Описание: Most people are taught that Angkor Wat was a religious monument. A sacred temple. A symbol of belief carved in stone.

This episode looks at Angkor from a different angle.

Angkor sat in a monsoon climate with extreme wet and dry seasons. A city of that size could not survive without precise water control. When we map the reservoirs, canals, embankments, and spillways around Angkor Wat, a different picture appears. The hydraulic system was not supporting the city. It was the city.

The scale of water engineering far exceeds what ritual use would require. Reservoirs buffered seasonal floods. Canals distributed water evenly during dry months. Controlled overflow protected farmland and infrastructure. This system allowed Angkor to support a massive population for centuries.

Then the system began to fail.

As maintenance declined, canals clogged, reservoirs lost capacity, and water control broke down. Agriculture suffered. Population dropped. The temples remained standing, but the city could no longer function.

Angkor did not collapse because of invasion or belief change. It collapsed because its water system failed.

This is not a story about mystery or myth. It is a story about infrastructure, climate, and how ancient cities actually worked.

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