A 2500 year old archaeological site was unexpectedly destroyed in Cambodia last week. An archaeologist who rushed to the scene was shocked to discover heavy equipment still leveling the land, apparently to create temporary housing for a nearby company. Story by Kent Davis
Local archaeologist Heng Sophady was shocked to see a priceless Cambodian prehistoric site destroyed, apparently for temporary housing.
Memot, Cambodia — The rural Memot area in southeastern Cambodia has proven itself as one of the richest sources of information about the country’s pre-historic development. Ancestors of the primitive people who once lived there later became part of the Khmer Empire. The Khmer, one of the world’s most advanced artistic civilizations, grew to rule most of Southeast Asia only 1500 years after the Memot villages formed.
On Tuesday, September 2, a colleague in the Memot area placed an urgent call to archaeologist Heng Sophady to report the destruction of an ancient village site. Mr Heng rushed to the site, located in Samrong Village and called the Samrong Circular Earthwork.
Example of a circular earthwork in Memot, similar to the Samrong site destroyed.
While historical research in Memot goes back more than 50 years, this site had only been discovered in an aerial photo in 1997 by Waseda University professor Yasushi Kojo.
Memot, Cambodia
Work in the Memot area began in 1959 with French archaeologist Louis Malleret, who described a series of 17 circular earthworks. These mounds represented the sites of early villages.
12 comments:
people don't understand the importance of the site because it was just a mount of dirt, not a temple structure. next time, archaeologists should mark the areas of significant historical value, etc!
Why are we so ignorant?
This is sad. This clearly displays how some of these Cambodians are VERY ignorant of the historical importance of early Khmer culture & its rich significance towards research and future generations. I guess for some of these Cambodians, greed blinds them and when the Vietnamese says to do something, they follow.
If the Vietnamese told them to place a Socialist Republic of Vietnam flag on Angkor Wat, they would not hesitate to do so.
The government never been in wrong just only Khmer opposition do always wrong!Don't forget go to jail ok SRP!
A government run by ignorant will destroy everything. Cambodia needs to preserve archeological sites, not just for tourist dollars, but also history and to show to world that Cambodia in the past was a great country full of intelligent people. We are killing ourselves by destroying this evidence of our greatness.
7:44 AM,
Learn how to speak and type English correctly you stupid peasant. You sound like a Hun Sen imbecile.
Khmer people don't give a shit about historic archaeological. They rather clear the land for their master YOUN or Foreign company.
If you don't believe me ask Hun Sen.
Vietnamese once again trying to erase Khmer history and Hun Sen the KING of all ignorant Khmers allowing the filth to do so.
Those are bullshit to destroy the Khmer cultures race, they know anything about Khmer culture, why you all don't say that Angkor Wat belong to Youn, that is better for them.
Those know only "VIET THE BEST FRIEND" but you don't what the Chinesse said to YOUN? You are traitor der the nation.
Tom Chhay
Well, ours people need to do something in the future. Khmer people got off your lazy ass and start doing or thinking of the future. If you just sit there foreigner will cleaned all the shit out. We need money...
wake up, khmer, be proud of our race, the great khmer people! start taking charge from now on! be educated in khmer as well as educated about the entire world on the planet, ok! god bless cambodia and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.
At least the gvt has been quick to react ... For once i applaud them for doing the right thing and not playing the ostrich!
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