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Khmer Reservoir Hydraulic System

Type Object Region Southeast Asia Time c. 800–1400

The Khmer reservoir hydraulic system centered on artificially excavated barays, working with channels, dikes, and the Tonlé Sap–Mekong network to sup…

Timeline

  1. c. 800–1000Angkor plain · CambodiaThe Khitan... [Khmer people] used seasonal floods and artificially excavated reservoirs to establish a hydraulic-agricultural system based on rice farming with fisheries, laying the foundation for the royal city's food supply.
  2. c. 1050–1120West Baray · Siem Reap ProvinceIn the 11th century large-scale excavation of the West Baray and other barays took place; between 1111 and 1120 they continued to be dredged and maintained under Suryavarman II, providing stable water supply and flood buffering for capital expansion and the Angkor Wat project.
  3. c. 1150–1300Angkor monuments hydraulic network · CambodiaChannels connected the baray with temples and palace districts; the hydraulic system served irrigation, transport, and ceremonial symbolic functions, embodying royal control over the natural order.
  4. c. 1350–1500Angkor plain · CambodiaWar, population loss, and sedimentation interrupted maintenance of reservoirs and channels, degrading the hydraulic system's function and worsening the decline of the capital's agricultural and population carrying capacity.

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