The Megadrought That Collapsed Angkor

In Episode 25 of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna revisit the collapse of the Khmer Empire through the lens of a recent scientific breakthrough. Tree-ring data from Vietnamese cypress and sediment cores from the Tonle Sap reveal a decades-long megadrought in the 14th and 15th centuries that crippled Angkor's vast water management system. Lucas explains how the city's intricate network of barays and canals, designed by kings like Indravarman I and Jayavarman VII, became a liability when rainfall plummeted. Luna asks about the role of the Siamese invasions, and Lucas presents a nuanced view: drought weakened Angkor just enough that Ayutthayan raids could deliver the final blow. They discuss the work of dendrochronologist Brendan Buckley and geographer Dan Penny, whose 2010 Nature paper transformed our understanding of the collapse. The conversation also touches on the shift from Mahayana to Theravada Buddhism, the Neak Ta spirit cults, and the eventual abandonment of Angkor for Phnom Penh. This episode offers a fresh, evidence-based look at one of history's greatest urban mysteries. #KhmerEmpire #AngkorWat #Megadrought #ClimateChange #BrendanBuckley #DanPenny #Dendrochronology #TonleSap #Baray #IndravarmanI #JayavarmanVII #Ayutthaya #TheravadaBuddhism #WaterManagement #NatureJournal #Collapse #History #FexingoHistory #SuryavarmanII #JayavarmanII Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo