Photo Gallery Medieval Metropolis
This artist's impression is based on current assumptions about what the temple complex of Angkor Wat may originally have looked like.
This battle scene is based on bas-reliefs from the temple walls.
The Khmer empire seems to have accumulated much of its wealth thanks to the complex irrigation system developed in the Angkor area: The system greatly facilitated rice cultivation.
This image is based on the bas-relief representation of a royal procession.
Settlements in the Angkor area were probably not especially cramped, but closely interconnected.
The Khmer were apparently able to store and redirect the water in their irrigation system in such a way that they were able to harvest rice several times a year.
Whether or not the irrigation system became too complex, eventually leading to the downfall of Angkor, remains unclear.
Artificial lakes were an important element of the irrigation system.
