Work

Life goes on: Archaeobotanical investigations of diet and ritual at Angkor Thom, Cambodia (14th–15th centuries CE)

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: This is the first time an archaeobotanical analysis based on macroremains, both charred and desiccated, from Cambodia is reported. The archaeobotanical samples are rich and provide evidence of rice processing, consumption of non-indigenous pulses, and the use of economic crops. The evidence is supported by data from inscriptions, texts and historical ethnography. This study demonstrates that the city of Angkor in the 14th and 15th centuries CE, despite its decline, was still occupied. Angkor’s inhabitants continued their everyday lives cultivating and consuming their staple food, rice, with a suite of pulses, and also used the harvests in the performance of rituals.

Source: The Holocene

DOI: 10.1177/0959683617752841

Authors: Cristina Cobo Castillo, Martin Polkinghorne, Brice Vincent, Tan Boun Suy, Dorian Q Fuller

Institutions: University College London, Flinders University, École Française d'Extrême-Orient, APSARA National Authority

Language: English

Topic: Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Subfield: Paleontology

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $584

Funders: Sight Research UK, Natural Environment Research Council, Australian Research Council