Angkor's Abandoned Roads: The Infrastructure That Failed the Khmer Empire

When Angkor fell, historians long blamed Siamese invasions or environmental collapse. But a less-known factor may have been just as decisive: the empire's vast road network. Built to connect Angkor with provincial centers like Phimai and Preah Vihear, these laterite highways carried troops, tribute, and trade for centuries. But as the Khmer Empire's power centralized under Jayavarman VII, the roads became a vulnerability—enabling rapid invasion by Tai armies and draining resources for maintenance. Epigraphic evidence from Prasat Muang Tam and the Royal Cambodian Road survey reveals how road neglect accelerated Angkor's decline. Lucas and Luna explore the paradox of infrastructure: how a system built for control can become the instrument of collapse. #KhmerEmpire #Angkor #RoyalRoads #JayavarmanVII #Phimai #PreahVihear #Laterite #TaiKingdoms #Ayutthaya #InfrastructureCollapse #SoutheastAsianHistory #CambodiaHistory #Epigraphy #PrasatMuangTam #AngkorThom #KhmerInfrastructure #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo