Angkor's Toxic Water: The Poisoned Canals of the Khmer Empire

Angkor's canals and baray were engineering marvels, but new research from the Greater Angkor Project and the University of Sydney suggests they may have carried a hidden cost: toxic heavy metals. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the evidence for lead and copper contamination in Angkor's water supply, how it accumulated from bronze casting and urban runoff, and what it might have meant for the health of Angkor's inhabitants. They discuss the role of the Preah Khan temple's bronze foundry, the use of lead in Khmer metallurgy, and how chronic poisoning could have weakened the empire from within, contributing to its decline. The conversation also touches on the challenges of detecting ancient pollution and the broader implications for understanding urban sustainability in pre-modern Southeast Asia. #Angkor #KhmerEmpire #ToxicWater #HeavyMetals #GreaterAngkorProject #PreahKhan #BronzeAge #Metallurgy #LeadPoisoning #EnvironmentalHistory #UrbanDecline #Archaeology #UniversityOfSydney #Cambodia #SoutheastAsia #WaterManagement #Pollution #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo