Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Hidden among jungle creepers in South-East Asia

lie the remains of the abandoned city of Angkor,

once home to one of the greatest civilisations on earth.

Angkor was a very vivid city, full of life.

NARRATOR: Angkor was the capital of the mighty Khmer empire,

which controlled much of the region for centuries.

In the heart of the city stood the great temple of Angkor Wat,

still the largest religious site in the world.

The stunning achievements of Angkor's mighty warrior kings

are clear to see.

But the story of how and where this great Khmer civilisation began

has been shrouded in mystery.

Now, the discovery of an ancient hoard of treasure,

revealed for the very first time,

is providing surprising new clues

about this early Khmer society...

..kilos of gold,

silver and precious stones in pristine condition.

Oh! Wonderful.

NARRATOR: Our cameras get unprecedented access...

..as we follow a team of archaeologists

making incredible discoveries.

This is the first stage of a wall here.

NARRATOR: Their mission is to work out the origins of the treasure

and the society it belonged to.

That's quite amazing.

NARRATOR: They'll scrutinise each artefact...

WOMAN: Yes! WOMAN 2: Yes!

Today, we are really very lucky.

..excavate the site where the treasure was found...

Ah! Incredible!

..use the latest technology to reconstruct history...

This is the photogrammetry

of the collapsed temple.

..and laser-scan the jungle,

revealing lost cities in astonishing new detail.

Do you think that this city was the capital of the kingdom?

NARRATOR: Can the treasure unlock the epic origin story

of the Khmer people,

creators of one of the most powerful and enduring empires

to rule the medieval world?

In the bustling city of Savannakhet, in southern Laos,

a multinational team of the world's top experts

are on their way to see a priceless hoard of treasure

for the very first time.

Found in a small village nearby,

the treasure is one of the most spectacular finds

in the history of South-East Asia.

Let's go.

'Cause we have a short time, so...

NARRATOR: This carefully assembled team has been given just two weeks

by the Lao authorities

to investigate the mysterious treasure.

How many minutes before to see it? (LAUGHS)

The team gathered here is really a dream team.

I think it will be very interesting

to look at it and try to understand what it could be.

NARRATOR: The team also want to find out more

about the tiny farming village in Laos where the treasure was found.

Laos is a landlocked country in South-East Asia.

Over 1,000 years ago, it was part of the huge Khmer empire

that stretched about 1 million square kilometres, with Angkor at its heart.

It was here, in the modern village of Nong Hua Thong,

that the priceless hoard of ancient treasure was discovered.

(LOCK CLICKS)

To ensure maximum security,

the treasure is kept in a secret location

in a heavily protected vault.

Inside the vault, the team are stunned by what they see.

Oh! Wonderful.

I never seen before like this.

NARRATOR: The treasure is even more extraordinary than they anticipated.

That's...that's quite amazing. Wow.

Having such a gold and silver treasure in front of your face

is really impressive.

WOMAN: We have 8kg of gold here and 18kg of silver.

It's very huge.

Never...we've never have

something like this,

all South-East Asia.

NARRATOR: The exquisite artistry of these artefacts is unprecedented.

This level of craftsmanship

on such precious material, it's...

(EXHALES)

(LAUGHS) It's...

..it's far beyond

what I encountered already.

NARRATOR: With so much to do in just two weeks,

the team waste no time setting up a laboratory in the vault.

Their job is to investigate 60 major artefacts and 1,800 fragments.

Each one will need to be analysed, to establish a date and provenance,

then measured, cleaned and conserved.

Objects that are broken are carefully reassembled.

MAN: I try to match here, but...

..but some parts is missing.

CHRISTOPHE: Yeah.

Good luck.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Every object is photographed

so it can be studied after the vault is closed.

But for now, having the real thing to hand

is the best way to investigate every detail

and hunt for clues hidden within each artefact.

CHRISTOPHE: We are trying to solve where the objects are coming from,

why they were buried into this place.

NARRATOR: The huge diversity of this collection is a mystery for the team.

It appears to tell a complex story.

Not only are there many different types of objects,

ranging from small bronze pieces to large prestigious gold artefacts,

but some show the influence of foreign art styles.

This is very strange.

You know... Oh, yeah.

..this kind of, uh, design we can find in, uh...

Champ...Champa kingdom. Champa.

Yes, yes. Champa kingdom.

It's beautiful.

NARRATOR: The Champa kingdom was located nearby,

in what is now Vietnam.

Other artefacts appear to have come from further away,

like these silver plates from China.

We never found any piece like that.

It's really exceptional to find this kind of object.

NARRATOR: The rarity of these pieces

make them more difficult to investigate,

even for the world's top experts.

There are so few comparisons they can draw on for information.

But despite these challenges,

Christine makes an early breakthrough.

CHRISTINE: I thought it was

a sort of diadem, but...

..not this... it's partly gilded, yes.

Only partly gilded. Here, there is no...no gold.

OK.

CHRISTINE: I think that it is from Khmer origin.

Which is very interesting

is the two faces over there...

..mmm, with, uh, a lot of teeth.

So it could be ancient

and, um, be pre-Angkorian.

NARRATOR: Christine's confirmation that this silverware is Khmer

and exceptionally old

is a major revelation.

It means some of the most exquisite artefacts in this collection

belong to a time long before Angkor...

..a Khmer world we know comparatively little about.

The next challenge for the team

is to find out more about

the place where the treasure was found.

The treasure discovery site, in the village of Nong Hua Thong,

is located in southern Laos,

on a tributary of the Mekong River.

Here, the team are conducting an archaeological dig

to see what information might lie beneath the ground.

Leading the dig is top archaeologist Nicolas Nauleau.

NICOLAS: The main thing for us now will be to explain, in fact,

uh, why the treasure was here.

All the context of the treasure.

What has been before the treasure, what has been after the treasure.

NARRATOR: Nicolas and his team soon make their first important discovery

two metres below ground.

It's bones. It's a part of an animal.

We have ashes from fires, different fires,

after they put the bones from, uh...from their meal.

It's probably part of a shoulder here.

Also, we can see the shape here. It's a part of the...of the mouth.

We have the teeth.

So which kind of, uh, animal is it?

Uh, it's too early to say that.

It's quite rare, in fact, to find bones in this area.

In South-East Asia, the sediment, the soil, is...is very acid, uh,

so the bones normally, they completely disappear.

It could be 100, 200 AD, some...maybe.

It's possible.

Yeah, it's very exciting, in fact.

NARRATOR: Finding such ancient evidence of human habitation

is very significant.

It shows this village could have roots

that stretch back nearly 2,000 years.

The treasure was found near the bones but higher up.

This means it was buried later.

How it was buried is also vital information

for the team to investigate.

To find out, one of the archaeologists, Viengkeo,

is on his way to meet the farmer who discovered the treasure.

Kyu Phommachack had been digging in his field

when his spade hit something hard beneath the surface.

NARRATOR: The fact that the treasure was found in two stone jars

indicates that whoever buried it was trying to carefully protect it.

Who might have owned it and why it might have been hidden

are what the treasure team need to focus on next.

(HORN HONKS)

NARRATOR: In Savannakhet, in the treasure vault,

the team are investigating the priceless gold artefacts.

Because they are so elaborate,

they are the most likely to offer up hints

about who this collection could have belonged to.

The most impressive of the objects is the jewel-encrusted gold box.

Did you see already something like this?

No, no. We have never seen such a very beautiful masterpiece.

Do you think, um...do you have an idea of the providence of this?

I think the object itself

could come from somewhere

in this region of, uh, Laos.

CHRISTINE: For the moment, we don't know at all

the date of the gold box.

That's the problem for us.

I tried to find some comparison on bas-relief on box,

and I didn't, uh, find anything.

It's...it's totally unique.

For the box? I have no idea. I never saw such a box before like that.

NARRATOR: The design of the box is of particular interest.

It features an unusual fusion of religious motifs,

represented by different birds,

which may provide clues to its origin.

CHRISTINE: You can see here some garuda.

NARRATOR: The garuda is an eagle that carried the Hindu god Vishnu.

On the top, this is some birds,

take the soul to the paradise.

This is Buddhist.

NARRATOR: This other bird is known as a hamsa,

a type of swan that represents reincarnation

in the Buddhist religion.

Buddhism and Hinduism arrived in South-East Asia

around the 4th century,

brought by travellers from India heading up the Mekong River.

The dual religious motifs

suggest the box may have been made in a place and at a time

where these religions coexisted.

Studying how the box was made

may give further clues about

how sophisticated that place was

and even who it was made for.

WOMAN: They were hammering a gold sheet

from the inside to make these shapes on the outside,

but they also added the gemstones in rows

and then put a separate band of gold

across the back of them,

to keep them in place.

The craftsmen...

..were experts.

NARRATOR: Artisans with this level of skill

point to the box being made in a highly accomplished workshop,

once supported by the most wealthy patrons of all -

royalty.

I think that the gold box is unique. It's for king.

NARRATOR: Could this be a royal collection?

Why else would a jug normally made in terracotta

have been exquisitely fabricated in gold?

Very, very beautiful.

I never seen this, first time in my life. (LAUGHS)

MAN: They are quite sophisticated objects

in terms of techniques.

Made of precious metals, gold and silver.

They were clearly linked to kings or high dignitaries.

CHRISTINE: So it could be, uh,

the treasure for a king, yeah.

Could be.

But, uh, we have no ev...

..archaeological evidence for the moment.

That's why, uh, the excavation continue

on the site of Nong Hua Thong.

NARRATOR: Back at the dig site,

the team have made an important breakthrough

that may support their theory the treasure could have belonged

to an elite group of people.

They've discovered the remains of an ancient temple complex.

And Christine's come to have a look.

Khmer kings built temples

to show their devotion to the gods.

Could the temple indicate this site was once a royal enclave?

And is there a link with the treasure?

Maybe there is a connection. Maybe.

If there is a connection, it's good for us.

Yes.

Lucky. Lucky. We will be lucky.

NARRATOR: The style and size of these large bricks

date the temple to the 7th century,

about 500 years before

Angkor reached its peak.

And even more exciting for the team

is the discovery

of an artefact inside the temple site.

CHRISTINE: Incredible.

Totally similar that we found in the treasure of Nong Hua Thong.

NARRATOR: The team have found a symbol

almost identical to one found with the treasure.

CHRISTINE: A sort of bell. WOMAN: Symbol.

Bell... Mmm. ..symbol.

Petite, erm...cloche.

Usually there is two.

NARRATOR: Khmer symbols like this

would have been used in a temple

as part of a religious ceremony.

Where it was found could determine how old it is.

So, can you show me... (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Yes.

..can you show me the exact place, uh, you find?

Underground? WOMAN: Yes.

It's a little on the top. CHRISTINE: Little bit higher?

Yes. A little bit higher. A little bit higher.

NARRATOR: From the location it was found,

the team can roughly date the symbol to the 7th century.

The discoveries suggest

there could have been a wealthy elite living here,

potentially capable of owning the precious treasure.

But discussions about the new discovery

are cut short by looming clouds.

I hope we will not have rain, uh, here today,

because otherwise it will be a...a mess.

The rain we have here in this area, it's a huge range,

and I'm afraid that the walls with the sand,

uh, they will collapse for sure.

Maybe we need to cover the trench. Yes.

Maybe we...we... we need to cover the...the trench.

NARRATOR: The team must cover up the dig site as fast as possible.

NICOLAS: Take some small tool,

but take a plastic also to protect the occupation layer, the bones.

So the trench will be full of water.

If it rains a lot, uh, the bones will completely disappear.

The rain is the enemy of archaeology, in fact.

(THUNDER CRASHES)

NARRATOR: The rain may have caused a setback onsite,

but at the treasure vault in Savannakhet,

there's been an exciting breakthrough.

While sifting through the 1,800 fragments,

Donna's found one that appears to have something intriguing on it.

Ooh. Ooh, look. You've got an inscription.

Uh... Oh.

Look. Really? A character?

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Look. Oh, man. I didn't even see it.

Erm...Christina.

You can come?

Oh, yes.

NARRATOR: Inscriptions are a key source of historical evidence

that can reveal the use, origin or even the creator of the artefact.

This one is in Old Khmer.

This is quite rare, to find a inscription like this, yes.

NARRATOR: It's a major find.

Only about 1,400 inscriptions have ever been found

from the 900-year period spanning the rise of Khmer civilisation

through to the eventual decline of Angkor.

If they can find another part of the inscription,

it could help provide information about the artefact.

Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Look, look, look.

NARRATOR: It seems Christophe has been lucky.

But do the two parts fit together?

No, no, no. No, no, no.

Not that side. And the other side.

CHRISTOPHE: Oh! Wait. DONNA: Yes! Yes, yes. That's it.

(LAUGHS) Yes! Yes!

Today, we are really very lucky. (LAUGHS)

Two fragments back together,

and we have some...part of one...

..fifth in...inscription.

CHRISTOPHE: Very much incomplete.

Very much incomplete. But anyway.

NARRATOR: Another, complete, inscription

can be seen on the rim of a small silver bowl.

Interesting object.

NARRATOR: Inscriptions from the Khmer world

were either written in Old Khmer

or in Sanskrit, a classical Hindu language often used

for religious texts.

CHRISTOPHE: If it's poetry, it's Sanskrit.

If it's just prose, uh, it's Khmer.

NARRATOR: In addition to studying the inscriptions,

the team are also analysing the iconography on the treasure

to help them date it.

Christine has zeroed in on a silver plaque

with a particular Hindu god, represented in a unique way.

CHRISTINE: We are sure that it is Shiva

because he hold on his hand the rosary.

Also because he has a hair bun and there is two worshipper.

This kind of plate, I can give a date.

It's, erm, coming from the 8th century.

So this was easy.

And it is Khmer art.

Totally sure.

Because it's, uh, the...the same iconography.

NARRATOR: Dating the treasure is a major breakthrough.

Christine is now confident that the artefacts in the collection

range from the 7th to the 9th century.

This was a time known as the early kingdoms period,

when Khmer village chiefs

were beginning to claim the right to kingship

and create independent states.

There was a lot of small kingdoms

and a lot of small city-states,

which has a small territory around the main city.

NARRATOR: Could the treasure discovery site, at Nong Hua Thong,

have been an early city-state,

rich enough and powerful enough to own such exquisite treasure?

A new discovery suggests this could be the case.

NARRATOR: In Nong Hua Thong,

at the exact location where the treasure was discovered,

the archaeological team have found a very old structure

below the ground surface.

This is a... a first stage of a wall here.

NARRATOR: Layers of ash near the bottom

are evidence that people lived inside the perimeter of this wall.

It is very interesting to find occupation

on one side.

NARRATOR: The wall could be evidence that at some point,

Nong Hua Thong developed from a small village

into a large settlement that needed protection from potential enemies.

To better understand the layout of the site,

the team are taking to the skies for a unique aerial survey.

They're using a game-changing technology called lidar.

Millions of laser beams are fired down through gaps in the vegetation,

mapping lost features in the landscape.

This is the first time

that the little-known history of this remote region

has been studied like this.

Once the tree cover is digitally removed,

the ghostly outline of a forgotten world

appears for the very first time.

This is where the treasure was discovered,

on the corner of the wall the archaeologists found

and another similar earthen wall.

But these are no ordinary walls.

They extend for over 2km across the landscape,

creating a protective boundary

that once might have housed nearly 8,000 people...

..a lost city revealed for the very first time.

Inside the city, the lidar scans show the outline

of a potential royal residence.

The scale and shape of it suggests

it could be the home of a local king or chief.

The team had no idea an ancient city like this existed in the area.

And they're keen to investigate further.

Do you think that this city was the capital of a kingdom,

a very rich city?

'Cause there is so many objects in the treasure.

8kg of gold and 18kg of silver.

Yes. And so many object.

More than 200 objects.

NARRATOR: The fact the treasure was buried at the corner of two walls

suggests that it was stashed in a memorable hiding place.

CHRISTINE: You see, uh, Viengkeo,

um, the treasure was hidden in a special place.

Very easy... VIENGKEO: Yeah.

..to find again.

It has been hidden here to be protected, maybe.

That's for sure, yeah.

NARRATOR: If the treasure was buried to protect it,

it's possible the city was in danger.

During the early kingdoms period,

city-states and local kings were often at war.

And here, high up on the bank above the river,

Christine finds evidence that Nong Hua Thong may have been attacked.

CHRISTINE: We found projectile, or cannonballs,

on the top of the cliff.

We see very well from here.

It is a high level here.

And they are heavy.

It's terracotta.

So...it's the...the right size.

So it is very easy, you see, to...

..uh, use it.

To throw against the enemy. To throw against the enemy.

Oh. The cannonball.

Maybe they used catapult to try to save the city.

And before the attack of the city,

the king wanted to preserve their treasure.

So they put all the gold and the silver

and buried it on earth to protect it and to save it.

But maybe they didn't win... (LAUGHS)

..because nobody come back to take the treasure again.

That's why we found it.

NARRATOR: The treasure may have been buried at a time of war,

but that doesn't explain why this ancient city

might have had such precious artefacts.

Given the city's relatively small size,

it's conceivable that the treasure might have come

from a larger, wealthier city-state.

And the riverbank offers up a clue

that the treasure may have come from somewhere else.

Look.

This one is clearly visible, no?

NARRATOR: They've found what appear to be hand-chiselled post holes.

CHRISTINE: They are quite, uh, 40cm of diameter.

NARRATOR: Each hole would have been carved

to fit individual wooden posts.

Christine thinks they could date back as far as the 7th century.

They stretch all the way to the water.

CHRISTINE: I can see them

doing a line like this.

NARRATOR: Judging by the number and size of the holes,

it's possible that this could have been a large pier or wharf.

And it's connected directly to the city...

Yeah.

..and...quite directly

to where we found the treasure.

So, you see, Viengkeo,

maybe the treasure was coming...

..with a boat

and was hidden here,

and maybe it's not the original place of the treasure...

..even if it is an ancient city.

NARRATOR: This is a big revelation

and has caused the team to reflect on why the treasure

might have been brought to this particular location.

The ancient city at Nong Hua Thong is situated in a strategic location.

Its position, close to the Mekong River,

placed it on the main north/south trade route

throughout the entire Khmer period.

VIENGKEO: The Mekong River,

it's very important to the life of the people.

It is considered the, uh, sacred river.

A lot of very important kingdoms,

very important cities,

are located along this river.

Mekong River is the main road in the ancient times.

Of course, the king at that time,

they could be travelling by boat

in between their palaces, their capitals,

upstream to downstream.

NARRATOR: Some ancient capitals

were richer and more established than others.

Could the treasure have been brought to Nong Hua Thong

by a wealthy dignitary from another kingdom?

In the local language,

"Nong Hua Thong" means "the pond of the golden barge".

The discovery of the ancient wharf

is an important step forward for the team.

Along with the diversity of the objects,

it suggests the treasure may not have originated where it was found.

Could the treasure have come from a larger city-state,

with greater resources, to support a highly skilled workshop

that could have made it?

Locating where that place might be is the next task.

NARRATOR: In Savannakhet,

the team are trying to understand

where else the treasure may have come from.

By looking at what the objects might have been used for,

they're hoping to find some new leads.

The silver bowl appears to be a religious ceremonial object.

We know that it is a gift from a rich donator.

It was for the worshipping of Shiva.

NARRATOR: The bowl was clearly donated by a very important person,

potentially a king,

to be used in a temple.

It's very important for kings to give a lot of gifts to the gods.

NARRATOR: Khmer kings established temples

as a way of legitimising their power.

This entrenched the idea of a hierarchical society,

with Shiva at the top, sanctifying the king's right to rule.

The power of the king is more or less justified

by the power of the gods.

NARRATOR: The more powerful the king, the larger the temple,

the more exquisite artefacts it might contain.

The design and sheer value of the treasure

suggests it may have come from a major royal Khmer court.

And given the discoveries the team have already made,

Christophe has a hunch where that might be.

The number one suspect to have this kind of object

would be actually the... the temple of Vat Phou.

NARRATOR: Vat Phou is located 350km down the Mekong River

from Nong Hua Thong.

It is the most venerated religious site in Laos.

(SPIRITUAL CHANTING)

NARRATOR: Every year, on the full moon of the third month,

thousands of worshippers flock to Vat Phou for a vast religious ceremony.

(SPIRITUAL CHANTING)

NARRATOR: Held over three days,

processions of chanting monks pay homage to this holy site.

(SPIRITUAL CHANTING)

NARRATOR: Although Buddhist today,

its roots are in Hinduism and stretch back nearly 1,500 years...

..long before Angkor was built.

Vat Phou temple sits at the foot of Mount Phou Kao.

This distinctively shaped sacred mountain

was believed by the early Khmer people

to be the physical embodiment of the Hindu god Shiva.

Vat Phou was built in this sacred landscape

to represent a virtual heaven on earth.

Constructed over several centuries,

the temple complex stretches out over 1,400 metres,

rising up to a natural terrace.

This is where the holiest temple is situated, overlooking the Mekong.

For the treasure team, the sacred site of Vat Phou

has all the hallmarks of a place that might have been able to afford

the exquisite artefacts found at Nong Hua Thong.

Christine also suspects that there might be similarities between

the iconography on the treasure and the designs on the temple itself,

and she's heading there to find out.

So, it could be a connection for some object, um, between

uh, the treasure of Nong Hua Thong and Vat Phou.

NARRATOR: To see if anything at Vat Phou

corresponds with the iconography on the treasure,

Christine's brought along photos for comparison.

She's looking at the carvings on the lintels

above the doorways

in the main temple.

CHRISTINE: On several object of the treasure,

there is a face which is very recognisable.

Uh, this is the...the head of Kala.

NARRATOR: According to Khmer mythology,

Kala, the god of death, asked Shiva if he could eat people.

Shiva refused and as a penance made Kala eat himself.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, you can see the teeth

and the nose.

NARRATOR: And this is not the only artefact

that shows a visual connection to the carvings at Vat Phou.

The silver plaque with Shiva and two worshippers

is almost exactly the same.

In the middle, you have Shiva,

sitting and hanging the rosary,

with the hair band,

between two worshipper.

Shiva is the...

..the god for the hermits,

and we know that there was a lot of hermits

living all around in the mountain,

because it was the sacred mountain, the mountain of Shiva.

NARRATOR: But while the iconography on the treasure and the temple match,

the timeline doesn't.

The main temple here in Vat Phou

was built long after the treasure was produced.

CHRISTINE: The plate of Nong Hua Thong

is more ancient than the lintel of Vat Phou,

but it is exactly the same iconography.

NARRATOR: To support the theory

that some of the artefacts in the treasure collection

may have originated in Vat Phou,

the team now need to establish if there was an earlier temple here

at the time the treasure was made.

NARRATOR: Exploring the earliest history of Vat Phou

is a speciality of Lao architect Vissa Chanthaphasouk.

Her goal is to investigate

when different parts of the temple site were built.

Part of my work consists of, um,

doing, uh, a survey with the new technology.

NARRATOR: She's using a technique called photogrammetry,

where thousands of photographs are digitally amassed into a 3D image.

I will start from here. OK.

NARRATOR: Surveying the site is a major task,

best performed from the air.

OK. Let's go.

(DRONE BUZZES)

VISSA: The first thing that we see is that Vat Phou is not alone.

So a lot more remains of Khmer structure

all around the sacred mountain.

NARRATOR: The aerial survey allows Vissa

to identify ruins on the landscape.

Photogrammetry will then enable her to reconstruct

and possibly date some of these ancient sites.

Today, Christophe is joining her to investigate a collapsed temple

within the main temple complex.

Uh...

..that's supposed to be the door, or what?

Yeah, uh, uh... we think that it's a door.

We did photogrammetry of this part,

and, um, I tried

to do reconstruction.

OK, fine.

Let's look at your computer, then. Yep.

So, this is the photogrammetry

of the collapsed building we're sitting on.

And... Yes.

..the whole wall slabs.

So we got the height of it.

NARRATOR: Vissa has taken the dimensions from the photogrammetry

and a drawing made by an earlier architect

and reconstructed the temple for the first time.

VISSA: This is the reconstruction

of the buildings that we are sitting on.

That's really, uh, brutal, uh, architecture. Mmm.

NARRATOR: The lack of ornamentation

suggests the temple could be very early.

In terms of dating for this building... Yes.

It's clearly the oldest building remaining.

In... Just... Yeah. In...in Vat Phou.

NARRATOR: Christophe believes

this unadorned temple could be 7th-century.

This ties in with the date of some of the earliest artefacts

in the treasure collection.

CHRISTOPHE: It's clear when...

..the shrine of Vat Phou could have had this kind of object.

NARRATOR: The team now suspect

the treasure could have belonged to a king,

who may have donated it to an early temple at Vat Phou.

And an incredible carving in the Vat Phou museum

reveals when the earliest Khmer kings came to this sacred place.

The Devanika stele was carved in 450 AD,

around 300 years before the treasure and the ancient temple.

It's the oldest known Sanskrit inscription in South-East Asia,

and it says who the very first king was.

CHRISTINE: Devanika was the king of kings, coming from far away.

That, he's saying.

"I am Maharajadhiraja."

Uh, it's a beautiful poem.

Uh, it's very well, uh, written.

NARRATOR: From this foundation stone, the team know

that King Devanika started to build his royal city in the 5th century.

It was located here, on the banks of the Mekong River,

just 6km from the temple site of Vat Phou,

in the foothills of the sacred mountain.

Today, there's nothing to indicate

that this was once a royal Khmer enclave.

So, to understand the layout and size of this first royal city,

the team have carried out a lidar survey.

It's the first time this area has been explored in this way.

What appears is King Devanika's royal city in extraordinary detail.

A vast 4km moat surrounds and protects the city.

This rectangular enclosure

was the first of its kind in South-East Asia,

a shape that would later be echoed in Angkor.

A walled inner sanctum may have been where the elite lived.

Adding houses to the lidar map allows us to imagine

how full of life this Khmer city might once have been.

King Devanika called his divine city Kurukshetra.

Although it was founded in the 5th century,

this first royal city was still thriving

at the time the treasure was made.

Could the treasure have been crafted by artisans living locally,

made for a king to be used in the nearby Vat Phou temple?

Would that be fabricated by any workshop here in the city,

uh, in Vat Phou?

Yeah, it's highly probable.

Because, actually, they had the customer next door,

actually, the priests and the kings.

NARRATOR: The investigation into the treasure

and the origins of this special site

has given the team a greater understanding

of just how sophisticated and accomplished

early Khmer society really was...

..an era that would eventually culminate with the wonders of Angkor.

And it all began here, in the sacred landscape of Vat Phou.

CHRISTOPHE: We have been working for years in Angkor,

trying to understand the origin,

and Vat Phou is an amazing case for...for that.

Vat Phou is the beginning of the Khmer civilisation.

NARRATOR: Vat Phou was the spiritual heartland of the first Khmer kings.

Kurukshetra was their administrative capital,

from which they ruled their domain.

This was a turning point in Khmer history,

when a collection of small city-states merged

into a single, more powerful kingdom

that started an empire.

The treasure marks this exact period in history...

..revealing the power,

wealth and ambition

of the Khmer people,

who would go on to build one of the greatest cities on earth...

..Angkor.

Captions by Red Bee Media (c) SBS Australia 2024