The Poisoned City: Saltwater and Angkor's Fall

In this episode, Lucas and Luna look at a less-known factor in Angkor's collapse: saltwater intrusion. As the great barays silted up and sea levels shifted, salt began to contaminate the Tonle Sap floodplain, poisoning the rice fields and forcing the Khmer to adjust their water management. Drawing on recent sediment core studies, they examine how the city's engineers struggled to keep fresh water flowing, how the shift to Theravada Buddhism changed priorities, and how the gradual salinization of the land may have pushed people toward Phnom Penh. They also discuss the legend of the 'Poisoned Lake' and what it might reveal about the real environmental crisis. A fresh angle on a familiar story, focused on the slow, unglamorous decay that brought down a civilization. #KhmerEmpire #Angkor #TonleSap #SaltwaterIntrusion #RiceFarming #WaterManagement #ClimateChange #TheravadaBuddhism #PhnomPenh #JayavarmanVII #IndravarmanIII #Baray #GreaterAngkorProject #History #FexingoHistory #Cambodia #SoutheastAsia #EnvironmentalHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo