The Fall of Angkor: Climate Collapse and the End of an Empire

For centuries, the Khmer Empire thrived at the heart of Southeast Asia, its monumental temples and vast waterworks a testament to its power. But by the 14th century, Angkor began to unravel—not at the hands of invaders, but under the weight of its own success. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic collapse of the Khmer Empire, a story of over-engineering, climate extremes, and a civilization pushed to its breaking point. Drawing on tree-ring data, LIDAR scans, and inscriptions, they piece together how decades of drought followed by torrential monsoons turned Angkor's hydraulic network into a weapon against itself. They discuss the abandonment of Angkor Thom, the rise of Theravada Buddhism, and the slow shift of power to Phnom Penh. Along the way, they consider the parallels to modern environmental challenges and what the Khmer experience can teach us about resilience and fragility. #KhmerEmpire #AngkorWat #ClimateCollapse #WaterManagement #AngkorThom #PhnomPenh #TheravadaBuddhism #JayavarmanVII #LIDAR #TreeRingDating #SiemReap #TonleSap #Baray #GreaterAngkorProject #RolandFletcher #DanPenny #History #FexingoHistory #JayavarmanII #SuryavarmanII Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo