TITLE:
Consideration of the Construction Period of the Khmer Temples along the East Royal Road to Preah Khan of Kompong Svay and the Provenance of Sandstone Blocks Based on Their Magnetic Susceptibility
AUTHORS:
Etsuo Uchida, Ichita Shimoda, Mariko Shimoda
KEYWORDS:
Angkor Monuments; Sandstone; Magnetic Susceptibility; Fire Shrine; Temple D’étape; Royal Road; Provenance; Construction Period
JOURNAL NAME:
Archaeological Discovery,
Vol.1 No.2,
October
11,
2013
ABSTRACT: To the east of the Angkor monuments, there is a royal road that connects the Angkor area to provincial Khmer cities that include Beng Mealea and Preah Khan of Kompong Svay. Khmer buildings known as Temples d’étape and Fire Shrines are placed approximately every 15 km along this east royal road. In this paper, we investigate the magnetic susceptibility and other characteristics of the sandstone blocks used to construct these buildings in conjunction with their architectural characteristics. As a result, we reconfirmed that the Temples d’étape and Fire Shrines have been constructed during the early Angkor Wat pe- riod and the late Bayon period, respectively. In addition, it was revealed that most of the sandstone blocks used in these buildings along the east royal road were likely supplied from quarries at the southeastern foot of Mt. Kulen. However, we consider that the sandstone blocks used in the buildings of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay, except its central part, the Temple d’étape at Prasat Trapeang Chambok and the Fire Shrine at Prasat Supheap Tbong, were supplied from quarries surrounding Preah Khan of Kompong Svay.