Angkor and the Older Worlds of Southeast Asia

What stood here before the temples we recognise today? And what did later generations inherit?

This Deeper Knowledge: Asia documentary investigates Angkor and the older worlds of Southeast Asia through buried structures, temple construction, water engineering, lidar surveys and the stories carved into stone. Travel through Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam—from Angkor Wat and Koh Ker to Si Thep, Phanom Rung, Muang Tam, Vat Phou and Mỹ Sơn.

We explore questions raised by independent investigators alongside archaeological studies: earlier foundations and later repairs; quarrying and transport; monumental reservoirs; patterned earthworks; Naga ornament and cymatics; and the movement of sacred stories associated with Indra, Vishnu, the Ramayana and Mahabharata.