Vegetation Change in the Area of Angkor Thom Based on Pollen Analysis of Moat Deposits

Abstract

A pollen analysis of the Angkor Thom moat deposits was conducted to determine the environmental background of the growth and decline of the Khmer dynasty. The horizon of vegetation change was discovered at approximately 155 cm depth, at which there was a decrease in tree pollen grains accompanied by a rapid increase in herb pollen grains. The age of this sediment is from 645 ± 30 BP to 640 ± 30 BP, and this vegetation change corresponds to the peak of the Khmer dynasty. Furthermore, it was revealed that Poaceae plants changed from a wild species to a cultivated species based on morphological studies of Poaceae pollen. It is believed that paddy fields expanded around Angkor archaeological sites and the with harvested rice were then brought into the capital city of the Khmer Empire.