Archaeologists In Cambodia Unearthed A Dozen Sandstone Statues Identified As Door Guardians, Some Of Which Are Over 1,000 Years Old
At a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Cambodia, 12 sandstone statues were unearthed, and some of them were more than a thousand years old.
The discovery took place in Angkor, which is one of three UNESCO sites in Cambodia. It is located near the city of Siem Reap.
According to researchers, the statues, which were identified as “door guardians,” were buried by the north gate of Angkor Thom, the 11th-century capital of the Khmer Empire. Teams of workers had been looking for fallen stones around the entrances to the complex when the statues were found.
One of the lead archaeologists of the excavation said they were buried up to 4.5 feet below the surface. Even after so much time spent underground, the statues are still in relatively good shape.
The artifacts measure between 39 and 43 inches tall. Once they recorded the statues’ positions, the archaeologists removed them for cleaning and restoration work. Eventually, the statues will be returned to their original spots around the temple’s gate.
The facial hair ornamentation on the statues allowed the researchers to determine that they were made in the Khneang Style.
“Experts believe these door guardians statues exemplify the Khneang Style, aligning with the construction period of the 11th-century palace,” said the Apsara National Authority.
Angkor Thom is situated within the Angkor Archaeological Park, a site that covers about 154 square miles. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
The latest find was part of a collaborative effort between the Apsara National Authority and the China-Cambodia Government Team.
Every year, the complex attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. The Angkor Wat temple is of particular interest due to its centuries-old design.
Cambodia’s Tourism Ministry reported that more than 500,000 international visitors toured the historic site in the first half of 2024 alone.
When Cambodia was ruled by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, the country experienced a long period of civil war and instability. During that time, many Khmer cultural treasures were stolen.
This past August, the country celebrated the return of numerous artifacts from museums and private collections overseas.
Cambodia has also come under criticism for efforts to clean up the Angkor site. Authorities have relocated thousands of residents living within the site’s borders for the purpose of preserving the archaeological site.
Amnesty International has referred to the actions as a “gross violation of international human rights law.” Many families were forced to move from their homes and faced various hardships, including a lack of infrastructure and access to basic services at resettlement locations.
The displaced residents had to take on massive amounts of debt to rebuild homes, and some even had to use their social security cards as collateral. It is estimated that around 10,000 families were evicted from the site by Cambodian authorities.
Since then, the United Nations World Heritage Committee has requested that Cambodia invite a team of experts to assess the situation.
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