Angkor urban extent and settlement mapping

Record summary

The Greater Angkor Project and related mapping used aerial imagery, satellite data, field survey and excavation to reconstruct settlement beyond the monumental temple cores. This lead matters for comparison because it changes the scale at which ancient cities, infrastructure and population density are analyzed in Southeast Asia. The results support a dispersed urban landscape with roads, ponds, occupation areas and agricultural features. Dates, population estimates and the social meaning of mapped features remain uncertain, especially where vegetation, modern land use or later modification obscure archaeological signatures.