The Discovery of Angkor Wat

In this episode, we talk about the Angkor Wat and the lost Khmer Empire that turned Cambodia’s jungles into the largest city on Earth at its peak. We break down how god-kings, colossal temples, vast reservoirs, and an intricate canal network made Angkor possible — and how over-ambition, silt, deforestation, religious shifts, and Siamese invasions triggered its collapse. From Henri Mouhot’s 1860 rediscovery to NASA radar and modern LIDAR scans, we cover how archaeologists are still mapping hidden temples and canals today, proving that Angkor was never just a ruin — but a sprawling hydraulic metropolis bigger than medieval London, powered by rice, water, and belief.

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