AMS Radiocarbon Dating of Wood Samples from the Angkor Monuments, Cambodia

Uchida, Etsuo; Cunin, Olivier; Shimoda, Ichita; Takubo, Y; Nakagawa, Takeshi

doi:10.1017/s0033822200053534

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…While timber was used in Angkorian temples (Parmentier 1935; Dumarçay & Royère 2001: 11; Cunin 2007; Uchida et al . 2008), the problem in this case is to specify what empirical evidence would allow us to identify an entire ritual building made of timber that had been completely removed. The other option is that these were pavilions containing small, pillared halls, as indicated by the form of S1 and N1.…”

Section: Appraisalmentioning

confidence: 99%

The buried ‘towers’ of Angkor Wat

Sonnemann¹,

O’Reilly²,

Chhay³

et al. 2015

Antiquity

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Section: Appraisalmentioning

confidence: 99%

The buried ‘towers’ of Angkor Wat

Sonnemann¹,

O’Reilly²,

Chhay³

et al. 2015

Antiquity

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“…Sayavongkhamdy and Bellwood 2000), and Cambodia (e.g. Bishop et al 2004;Zoppi et al 2004;Penny et al 2007;Uchida et al 2008). More 14 C dates were generated for Vietnamese prehistoric complexes; this research began in the 1970s and continues now (e.g.…”

Section: Asiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon and the Old World Archaeology: Shaping a Chronological Framework

Kuzmin¹

2009

Radiocarbon

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The inception of the radiocarbon dating method in 1949 was immediately supported by many archaeologists. In the following 2 decades, many important archaeological sites in the Old World were dated, marking the beginning of building a reliable chronological framework for prehistoric and early historic cultural complexes worldwide. The author presents an observation of some of the most important results in establishing a chronology for Old World archaeology, based on 14C dating performed in the last 50 yr. An extensive bibliography should help scholars to get acquainted with early summaries on archaeological chronologies based on 14C data and their evaluation, as well as with some recent examples of the application of 14C dating in Old World archaeology.

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“…Beyond dating rarely preserved wooden supports [ 16 ], iron crampons fixed between internal sandstone blocks remain the most consistent in situ artefact to determine the construction date or modification phases in Angkorian temples. Anastylosis of the Baphuon [ 10 ] recovered nine iron crampons, including eight bow-tie crampons arranged in pairs from two separate foundation levels associated with the crowning walls from the initial construction phase and one u-shaped crampon behind the head of the Reclining Buddha modification ( Fig 2 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Direct Dating for the Construction and Modification of the Baphuon Temple Mountain in Angkor, Cambodia

et al. 2015

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Architecture represents key evidence of dynastic practice and change in the archaeological world. Chronologies for many important buildings and sequences, including the iconic temples of medieval Angkor in Cambodia, are based solely on indirect associations from inscriptions and architectural styles. The Baphuon temple, one of the last major buildings in Angkor without textual or scientifically-derived chronological evidence, is crucial both for the context and date of its construction and the period when its western façade was modified into a unique, gigantic Reclining Buddha. Its construction was part of a major dynastic change and florescence of the Hindu-Mahayana Buddhist state and the modification is the key evidence of Theravada Buddhist power after Angkor's decline in the 15th century. Using a newly-developed approach based on AMS radiocarbon dating to directly date four iron crampons integrated into the structure we present the first direct evidence for the history of the Baphuon. Comprehensive study of ferrous elements shows that both construction and modification were critically earlier than expected. The Baphuon can now be considered as the major temple associated with the imperial reformations and territorial consolidation of Suryavarman I (1010–1050 AD) for whom no previous building to legitimize his reign could be identified. The Theravada Buddhist modification is a hundred years prior to the conventional 16th century estimation and is not associated with renewed use of Angkor. Instead it relates to the enigmatic Ayutthayan occupation of Angkor in the 1430s and 40s during a major period of climatic instability. Accurately dating iron with relatively low carbon content is a decisive step to test long-standing assumptions about architectural histories and political processes for states that incorporated iron into buildings (e.g., Ancient Greece, medieval India). Furthermore, this new approach has the potential to revise chronologies related to iron consumption practices since the origins of ferrous metallurgy three millennia ago.

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AMS Radiocarbon Dating of Wood Samples from the Angkor Monuments, Cambodia

Cited by 6 publications

References 10 publications

The buried ‘towers’ of Angkor Wat

The buried ‘towers’ of Angkor Wat

Radiocarbon and the Old World Archaeology: Shaping a Chronological Framework

First Direct Dating for the Construction and Modification of the Baphuon Temple Mountain in Angkor, Cambodia

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