All language subtitles for Lost Temple of the Jungle Unearthed 720p HDTV MVGroup

Narrator:
ANGKOR WAT, CAMBODIA.

THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS
MONUMENT EVER BUILT.

THE ANCIENT KHMER CIVILIZATION
CONSTRUCTED

THIS MAGNIFICENT
HINDU TEMPLE 900 YEARS AGO...

Hendrickson:
WHEN YOU GET UP CLOSE
AND YOU LOOK AT THE DETAIL,

IT IS TRULY
AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE.

Narrator:
...THE CROWNING GLORY

OF A ONCE-GREAT EMPIRE.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY
ON SO MANY LEVELS

THAT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT
TO EVEN COMPREHEND.

Narrator: WHY WAS THIS
GARGANTUAN TEMPLE BUILT

SEEMINGLY
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?

AND HOW IS IT STILL STANDING
AFTER CENTURIES OF NEGLECT,

RAVAGED BY JUNGLE TREES
AND MONSOON RAINS?

TO UNEARTH THE TRUTH,
WE'LL EXPLORE

THE TEMPLE'S STRUCTURE
STONE BY STONE.

WE'LL EXPOSE ITS HIDDEN CHAMBERS
AND LOST TUNNELS

TO REVEAL
THE ASTONISHING SECRETS

OF THE LONG-LOST CIVILIZATION

THAT BUILT THIS ANCIENT WONDER.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ANGKOR WAT, THE LARGEST
TEMPLE ON EARTH.

THIS MASSIVE STRUCTURE DOMINATES
THE JUNGLE LANDSCAPE

OF NORTHERN CAMBODIA.

BUT FOR CENTURIES,
ITS SANDSTONE TOWERS

AND CARVED WALKWAYS
WERE LOST TO THE FOREST,

HIDDEN BENEATH AN IMPENETRABLE
CANOPY OF TREES.

NOW ARCHEOLOGISTS INVESTIGATING
ANGKOR WAT ARE REVEALING

ITS HIDDEN SECRETS.

WORKERS HAVE CLEARED THE TREES
TO REVEAL

A TEMPLE COMPLEX COVERING
OVER 500 ACRES,

AND THERE COULD BE MORE.

ARCHAEOLOGY TEAMS USE INNOVATIVE
LASER TECHNOLOGY TO HUNT

FOR THE LONG-LOST CITY
THEY BELIEVE

MUST ONCE HAVE
SURROUNDED ANGKOR WAT.

OTHER EXPERTS SEARCH FOR CLUES
INSIDE THE TEMPLE

TO SOLVE THE MYSTERIES
OF HOW AND WHY IT WAS BUILT.

IT'S PERFECTION IN TERMS
OF CARVING.

IT'S PERFECTION IN TERMS
OF DIMENSIONS,

IN TERMS OF RHYTHM OF SPACES
WITHIN THE TEMPLE.

THIS REQUIRED
AN EXTRAORDINARY VISION.

Narrator: ANCIENT ARCHITECTS
DESIGNED ANGKOR WAT TO INSPIRE

AWE AND WONDER.

A MAJESTIC STAIRCASE
LED PILGRIMS

TO A MAGNIFICENT CENTRAL ATRIUM

WHERE THEY CAME
FACE-TO-FACE WITH VISHNU,

A SUPREME BEING
IN THE HINDU FAITH.

FIVE IMPOSING STONE TOWERS
ROSE ABOVE THEIR HEADS,

SYMBOLIZING
THE SACRED MOUNT MERU,

HOME OF THE GODS.

BUILT USING HALF
A MILLION TONS OF STONE,

ANGKOR WAT IS A SPECTACULAR

RE-CREATION OF HEAVEN ON EARTH.

BUT WHY DID THE ANCIENT
CAMBODIANS BUILD THIS TEMPLE

SO MUCH BIGGER
THAN ANY OTHER?

SIMON WARRACK HAS SPENT DECADES
INVESTIGATING ANGKOR WAT

AND ITS SURROUNDING TEMPLES.

HE BELIEVES THE ANSWER TO THIS
MYSTERY LIES IN DECODING

THE INTRICATE CARVINGS

THAT ADORN
THE TEMPLE WALLS.

WE'RE IN THE THIRD ENCLOSURE
OF THE TEMPLE OF ANGKOR WAT,

AND IN THIS ENCLOSURE,
WE HAVE MORE THAN HALF A MILE

OF CARVED BAS-RELIEFS.

Narrator:
THE CARVINGS TELL THE STORY

OF THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATION
WHO BUILT THE TEMPLE --

THE KHMER.

THEY DEPICT THE ARMY'S
MILITARY VICTORIES,

AND THEY GIVE US AN IMAGE
OF A GREAT RULER --

KING SURYAVARMAN II.

SO HERE WE ARE IN FRONT OF
KING SURYAVARMAN II HIMSELF.

THIS IS THE FIRST PORTRAIT
OF A KHMER KING

IN THE HISTORY OF KHMER ART.

HERE HE IS SITTING ON HIS
THRONE LOOKING VERY REGAL,

SURROUNDED BY HIS COUNSELORS

AND HIS MINISTERS,
SEVERAL HOLY MEN.

AND WONDERFUL UMBRELLAS
TO SHIELD HIM FROM THE SUN,

FANS, FLY WHISKS.

ALL THE ACCOUTREMENTS
OF ROYALTY ARE HERE.

Narrator: CRITICALLY, KING
SURYAVARMAN WASN'T BORN TO RULE.

HE HAD SEIZED POWER
FROM HIS GREAT UNCLE,

AND SIMON IS CONVINCED THAT

ANGKOR WAT'S HUGE SIZE WAS
A GRAND POLITICAL STATEMENT

TO WIN OVER
HIS NEW SUBJECTS.

CARVED HERE IS THE MESSAGE
THAT THE KING WANTED

TO GET TO HIS PEOPLE.

IN A WAY, THIS IS THE CAMPAIGN
AD FOR SURYAVARMAN II.

Narrator: SURYAVARMAN DIDN'T
JUST WANT TO BE SEEN

AS A RIGHTFUL KING.

HE WANTED TO BE
REVERED AS A GOD.

SO HE BUILT A TEMPLE
WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY SECRET

THAT LINKS IT TO THE HEAVENS.

EACH YEAR AT THE SPRING EQUINOX,

THE SUN RISES DIRECTLY
OVER THE CENTRAL TOWER.

A HOLE IN THE CAPSTONE FOCUSES

THE SUNLIGHT
DOWN INTO THE TEMPLE.

IT SHINES THROUGH A HOLE
IN THE FLOOR BELOW

AND DOWN A 90-FOOT SHAFT

TO A SECRET CHAMBER
DEEP UNDERGROUND.

SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE
THAT SURYAVARMAN

DESIGNED THIS SECRET VAULT
TO HOLD HIS MORTAL REMAINS.

IF THEY'RE RIGHT,
ANGKOR WAT IS NOT JUST A TEMPLE.

IT'S A SPIRITUAL MACHINE
TO ELEVATE THE GOD KING

TO HIS RIGHTFUL HEAVENLY THRONE.

BUT THIS IDEA CREATES
ANOTHER BIG MYSTERY.

IF ANGKOR WAT WAS DESIGNED
TO BE SURYAVARMAN'S TOMB,

IT HAD TO BE CONSTRUCTED

AND DECORATED IN TIME
FOR HIS DEATH.

Warrack: THE REIGN OF KING
SURYAVARMAN II WAS 32 YEARS.

THAT'S A VERY SHORT TIME
TO BUILD THE BIGGEST

STONE RELIGIOUS
BUILDING IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: THE GREAT EUROPEAN
CATHEDRALS BUILT IN THE SAME ERA

TOOK CENTURIES TO COMPLETE.

YET THEY'RE A FRACTION
OF THE SIZE OF ANGKOR WAT.

SO HOW DID THE KHMER ENGINEERS
BUILD THIS REMARKABLE TRIUMPH

IN SUCH A SHORT TIME?

SIMON THINKS THAT THE SOLUTION

COULD BE A VAST SUPPLY
OF MANPOWER.

TO TEST HIS THEORY, HE
VISITS ANOTHER KHMER TEMPLE --

PHNOM BAKHENG --

WHERE A TEAM OF STONEMASONS

ARE REBUILDING THE TEMPLE'S
SOUTHWESTERN WALL.

SIMON EXPERIMENTS BY CHISELING
A SANDSTONE BLOCK.

HE WANTS TO INVESTIGATE HOW LONG
IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE KHMER

TO DO THE SAME JOB
900 YEARS AGO.

Warrack: ROUGHING OUT WITH A
POINT CHISEL AND A BIG HAMMER

IS REALLY HARD WORK.

AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE
BY THE LESS-SKILLED TEAMS.

Narrator:
TO MAKE SURE THE BLOCKS
SAT FLUSH AGAINST EACH OTHER,

THEY HAD TO CHISEL
AND THEN SAND THEM

UNTIL THEY WERE
PERFECTLY SMOOTH.

THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE THING
ABOUT DOING THIS KIND OF WORK

IS, OF COURSE,
THE HEAT AND THE DUST.

Narrator:
SIMON'S AN EXPERT STONEMASON,

BUT IT STILL TAKES HIM
OVER TWO HOURS

TO PREPARE THE BLOCK
FOR THE TEMPLE WALL.

THIS HERE IS A RELATIVELY
SMALL BLOCK.

THIS IS ONE YOU CAN
ACTUALLY MOVE BY HAND.

THE BLOCKS IN
ANGKOR ARE UP TO 10 TONS

AND WERE PLACED IN SITU
AND THEN WORKED BY HAND.

THE SIZE OF THAT TASK
IS VERY DIFFICULT

EVEN TO ACTUALLY IMAGINE.

Narrator: SIMON SUSPECTS

IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN
A KHMER STONEMASON UP

TO EIGHT HOURS TO PREPARE
EACH OF THE MASSIVE BLOCKS

USED TO BUILD ANGKOR WAT.

AND WITH 5 MILLION BLOCKS
TO PREPARE,

SURYAVARMAN WOULD HAVE NEEDED
THOUSANDS OF STONEMASONS

WORKING EVERY DAY

TO COMPLETE THE TEMPLE
WITHIN HIS LIFETIME.

AND THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST
A FRACTION OF THE WORKFORCE.

SURYAVARMAN ALSO NEEDED
THE MATERIALS TO BE QUARRIED

AND TRANSPORTED
TO THE JUNGLE SITE.

Warrack: YOU CAN ESTIMATE
BY DOING A SIMPLE CALCULATION

THAT THERE WAS BETWEEN 200

AND 300 BLOCKS PER DAY
ARRIVING ON SITE.

AND THAT IS ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE TO CONCEIVE.

Narrator: ANGKOR WAT SITS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE.

THE NEAREST SANDSTONE IS
IN THE KULEN HILLS

25 MILES TO THE EAST.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH HAS
REVEALED THAT THE KHMER

CUT CANALS TO JOIN UP THE RIVERS

TO CREATE A TRANSPORT
ROUTE DIRECT

TO THE BUILDING SITE.

THEY CRAFTED BAMBOO RAFTS
TO SUPPORT THE SANDSTONE BLOCKS.

AND THE CURRENT EFFORTLESSLY
CARRIED THEM TOWARDS ANGKOR WAT.

THIS SYSTEM PROVIDED
A CONSTANT SUPPLY OF SANDSTONE

TO AN ARMY OF BUILDERS

WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY
TO ERECT A TEMPLE.

WE CAN IMAGINE AN ALMOST
SOLID STREAM OF STONE GOING

FROM THE QUARRY TO THE SITE

AT THE HEIGHT
OF THE BUILDING PERIOD --

A SITE I WOULD LOVE
TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE.

Narrator:
TO BUILD A TEMPLE OF SUCH
EPIC PROPORTIONS IN SO FEW YEARS

WOULD HAVE TAKEN HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS,

PERHAPS THE LARGEST
CONSTRUCTION TASK FORCE

EVER ASSEMBLED IN
THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Warrack: THE SIZE OF THE TEAM
MUST HAVE BEEN EXTRAORDINARY

AND REALLY VAST.

IT SHOWS A CAPACITY
FOR ORGANIZATION,

WHICH IS CHARACTERISTIC
OF A VERY,

VERY GREAT CIVILIZATION.

Narrator:
THROUGH SHEER FORCE OF NUMBERS,

KING SURYAVARMAN ACHIEVED
HIS EXTRAORDINARY VISION,

AND THE FINAL STONE
OF ANGKOR WAT WAS IN PLACE

BEFORE HE DIED.

BUT THIS SURPRISING FACT
PRESENTS ANOTHER MYSTERY.

IF SUCH A VAST WORKFORCE WAS
NEEDED TO CONSTRUCT THE TEMPLE,

WHERE DID THEY ALL LIVE?

TODAY THE TEMPLE APPEARS
TO SIT LIKE AN ISLAND

IN A SEA OF DENSE JUNGLE.

IS NEW TECHNOLOGY
ABOUT TO REVEAL

ANGKOR WAT'S MOST
CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET?

Narrator: TODAY TOURISTS MARVEL
AT THE SPLENDOR OF ANGKOR WAT

AND ITS VAST MOAT.

DESIGNED TO GLORIFY THE RULE
OF AN AMBITIOUS KING,

IT CONTAINS HUNDREDS
OF GRAND COLUMNS,

AND ITS WALLS
AND TOWERS ARE ADORNED

WITH THOUSANDS
OF EXQUISITE CARVINGS.

BUT 900 YEARS AGO, IT WOULD HAVE
LOOKED EVEN MORE MAGNIFICENT.

ITS ROOFS WERE
BEAUTIFULLY GILDED.

EVERY GATE CROWNED WITH FINE,
GOLD-COVERED CARVINGS.

AND THE CENTERPIECE OF IT ALL --

THE FIVE LOTUS TOWERS
ENROBED IN GOLD,

REFLECTING THE SUNLIGHT,

SHINING LIKE BEACONS
ACROSS THE PLAIN.

IT TOOK HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS

TO BUILD THIS LAVISH MONUMENT,

YET TODAY THERE'S NO SIGN
OF A CITY AROUND THE TEMPLE.

SO WHERE DID THESE
ORDINARY PEOPLE LIVE?

IT'S A MYSTERY BECAUSE
THE JUNGLE HAS SWALLOWED UP

ALMOST ALL TRACE
OF OUTLYING SETTLEMENTS.

ARCHAEOLOGIST
JEAN-BAPTISTE CHEVANCE

HUNTS FOR THE REMAINS

OF THIS 900-YEAR-OLD
JUNGLE ATLANTIS.

TODAY HE'S CHASING DOWN
THE RESULTS OF A GROUNDBREAKING

MAPPING TECHNOLOGY
CALLED LIDAR.

THE LASER BEAMS SCAN THE GROUND,
COVERING EVERY INCH.

IT STRIPS AWAY ALL THE TREES
AND BUSHES

TO REVEAL THE TRUE LANDSCAPE

BENEATH THE DENSE VEGETATION.

JEAN-BAPTISTE'S INVESTIGATIONS

HERE REVEAL
SOMETHING ASTONISHING.

ANGKOR WAT AND ITS SQUARE MOAT
APPEAR TO BE SURROUNDED

BY A CITY GRID
OF ANCIENT ROADS AND BUILDINGS.

TODAY JEAN-BAPTISTE
WANTS TO CHECK OUT

SOME OF THE FEATURES PICKED UP
BY THE LASER SCANNING

TO SEE FIRSTHAND

IF THEY REALLY ARE THE REMAINS
OF AN ANCIENT CITY.

THIS IS A PROCESS
CALLED GROUND TRUTHING.

THEY FOLLOW THE GPS SIGNAL
TREKKING DEEP INTO THE JUNGLE.

JEAN-BAPTISTE LOOKS OUT
FOR HUMPS IN THE JUNGLE FLOOR.

THESE HUMPS COULD BE THE REMAINS
OF THE RAISED PLATFORMS

THE KHMER BUILT THEIR HOMES ON.

THE TEAM TAKES A CLOSER LOOK,
HUNTING FOR EVIDENCE

THAT THESE HUMPS WERE MAN-MADE.

AND THIS EXCITING DISCOVERY
ISN'T A ONE-OFF.

GROUND TRUTHING HAS CONFIRMED
THAT A GIANT CITY

ONCE SURROUNDED
THE TEMPLE OF ANGKOR WAT.

HOUSES FILLED THE SPACES
WITHIN THE GREAT MOAT.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
MORE STRETCHED OUT BEYOND,

DENSELY COVERING
THE LANDSCAPE.

THE KHMER CUT WIDE CANALS
BETWEEN THESE CITY BLOCKS,

CREATING A COMPLEX
TRANSPORT NETWORK.

THIS VAST METROPOLIS STRETCHED
OVER 400 SQUARE MILES

AND WAS HOME TO THREE QUARTERS
OF A MILLION PEOPLE.

ANGKOR WAT WASN'T JUST A TEMPLE.

IT WAS THE CENTER
OF A VAST MEGA CITY,

ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

BUT HOW COULD A CITY
OF THIS SCALE THRIVE

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE?

WHAT WAS THE SECRET INGREDIENT

THAT BANKROLLED THE CITY OF
ANGKOR AND KICK-STARTED

THE EXPANSION
OF A KHMER EMPIRE?

Narrator: ANGKOR WAT WAS ONCE

THE BEATING HEART
OF A JUNGLE METROPOLIS,

BUT THE KHMER RULERS WERE INTENT
ON CREATING AN EMPIRE.

SIMON WARRACK EXPLORES
THE ANCIENT COMMUNITIES

THAT STILL LIVE IN THE HILLS
AROUND ANGKOR WAT.

HE'S SEARCHING
FOR THE MYSTERIOUS MATERIAL

HE BELIEVES FUELED THE KHMER'S
RISE TO GREATNESS.

Warrack: WE'VE JUST FOUND
A BLACKSMITH CREATING A TOOL

WHICH IS PORTRAYED
ON THE RELIEFS OF ANGKOR,

WHICH ARE 11th CENTURY.

THIS IS IDENTICAL.

SO HE'S MAKING THE SAME
TOOLS HIS ANCESTOR MADE

1,000 YEARS AGO.

Narrator: THESE TOOLS ARE BEING
FORGED FROM IRON,

A METAL THAT'S HARD TO FIND
IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD.

IT'S A LOVELY PIECE OF WORK,
AND IT'S EXTREMELY SHARP.

AND I WOULD ENJOY USING THIS.

Narrator: COULD IRON HAVE BEEN
THE SECRET WEAPON

OF THE KHMER EMPIRE?

Warrack: IRON WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE PERFECT MATERIAL

AT THAT TIME.

YOU CAN MAKE IT SHARP.

YOU CAN MAKE A THICK CHISEL
TO KNOCK OFF THE BIG LUMPS

WHEN YOU'RE WORKING
DOWN A LARGE BLOCK.

YOU CAN WORK IT
INTO A VERY THIN POINT

SO THAT YOU CAN WORK THE VERY,
VERY FINE DETAILS

THAT YOU SEE ON ANGKOR.

Narrator:
IF THE KHMER HAD ACCESS
TO VAST QUANTITIES OF IRON,

THEY COULD HAVE USED IT TO BOOST
ALL ASPECTS OF THEIR CULTURE...

...FROM CONSTRUCTION
TO AGRICULTURE

AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WARFARE.

IRON WEAPONS WOULD EXPLAIN
HOW THE KHMER EMPIRE

SPREAD SO QUICKLY,

CONQUERING ALL OF SOUTHEAST
ASIA IN JUST 22 YEARS.

THE MILITARY WAS
AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FEATURE

AND ENABLED THEM TO EXPAND
AND TO CREATE AN EMPIRE

THE SIZE OF THE ONE
THAT THEY DID.

Narrator: A GLUT OF IRON WOULD
HAVE TRANSFORMED THE KHMER

FROM A SIMPLE CIVILIZATION
TO A MIGHTY EMPIRE.

BUT HOW CAN WE BE SURE
THEY HAD ACCESS TO ENOUGH

OF THIS RARE MIRACLE MATERIAL?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED
A CRUCIAL CLUE

HIDDEN INSIDE
THE SANDSTONE BLOCKS

THAT MAKE UP ANGKOR WAT.

THE KHMER DIDN'T USE MORTAR.

REMARKABLY, THEIR GRAND TEMPLE
WAS HELD TOGETHER BY IRON.

CURIOUS HOLES IN
THE STONEWORK REVEAL HOW.

THESE ARE THE SCARS
LEFT BY LOOTERS

WHO CHISELED INTO THE STONE

TO EXTRACT IRON CLAMPS.

DESIGNED TO HOLD THE STONES
TIGHTLY TOGETHER,

THEY WERE PLACED BETWEEN
THE SANDSTONE BLOCKS.

THERE MUST HAVE BEEN
THOUSANDS OF THEM.

BUT WHERE DID THE KHMER
GET ALL THIS IRON FROM?

AND HOW COULD THEY AFFORD
TO BURY SO MUCH OF IT

INSIDE A TEMPLE?

ASTONISHINGLY, THERE'S NO IRON
ORE FOUND AROUND ANGKOR WAT.

THIS PRESENTS ANOTHER PUZZLE
FOR EXPERTS TO SOLVE.

WE'RE ABOUT A KILOMETER
AND A HALF SOUTH OF PHNOM DIKE,

WHICH LITERALLY TRANSLATES
INTO "THE IRON MOUNTAIN,"

AND THIS AREA'S
REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE

THERE'S A SERIES OF MOUNDS

THAT ARE COVERED IN SLAG,

WHICH WE THINK ARE
IRON PRODUCTION SITES.

Narrator:
ARCHAEOLOGIST MITCH HENDRICKSON

BELIEVES THE KHMER RELIED

ON THE SPECIALIST SKILLS
OF A TRIBE KNOWN AS THE KUY

THAT LIVED 80 MILES
FROM ANGKOR WAT.

HE WANTS TO INVESTIGATE
THE MOUNDS

FOR SIGNS OF ANCIENT
KUY IRONWORKS.

BUT FIRST, HE NEEDS
SPIRITUAL PERMISSION.

Hendrickson: BEFORE WE ACTUALLY
UNDERTAKE ANY EXCAVATION,

WE HAVE TO DO A SMALL CEREMONY.

THE LOCAL TRADITION IS IF YOU
DON'T CLEAR IT WITH THE SPIRITS,

BAD OMENS AND THINGS
CAN HAPPEN TO YOU

AND THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE LAND.

SO IT'S JUST BEST TO MAKE
EVERYONE HAPPY

FROM THE SPIRIT WORLD
TO THE CULTURAL WORLD, REALLY.

Narrator: MITCH BELIEVES
THAT THE KUY

WERE ONE OF THE FEW TRIBES

WITH THE RESOURCES
AND KNOW-HOW

TO PRODUCE VAST
QUANTITIES OF IRON.

BUT HOW DID THIS VALUABLE
METAL END UP IN THE HANDS

OF THE EMPIRE-HUNGRY KHMER?

Hendrickson: THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE TWO CULTURES --

IT WAS ALMOST A FORM
OF EXCHANGE.

WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY 'CAUSE
THERE'S NO WRITTEN RECORDS,

BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE

IS TO UNDERSTAND
THE TRADE OF IRON

BETWEEN THE SOURCE
AND THE CONSUMER.

Narrator: TO PROVE HIS THEORY,
MITCH AND HIS TEAM

ARE WORKING HARD
TRYING TO UNCOVER EVIDENCE

OF IRON PRODUCTION

DATING TO THE PEAK
OF THE KHMER EMPIRE.

Hendrickson:
THIS IS TRENCH TWO,

WHICH IS SITUATED
ON TOP OF THE MOUND.

WE CHOSE THIS LOCATION
FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.

ONE OF WHICH WAS THE HOPE THAT
WE GET THE REMAINS OF A FURNACE.

AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE
IS ACTUALLY THE REMAINS

OF THE OUTLINE
OF ONE OF THESE FURNACES.

WHAT WE HAVE IS THE INTERIOR
AND EXTERIOR GOING AROUND

IN THIS HORSESHOE SHAPE.

AND INSIDE IS WHERE THEY WOULD
HAVE ACTUALLY MADE THE IRON.

THESE LONG CLAY TUBES,
WHICH ARE CALLED TUYERES,

IS HOW AIR WOULD HAVE
PASSED INTO THE FURNACE,

WHICH WOULD HAVE ENABLED
THE REDUCTION PROCESS.

SO THIS IS VERY EXCITING
'CAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

THAT WE'VE SEEN THE SHAPE OF ONE

OF THESE IRON FURNACES
DURING THE ANGKORIAN PERIOD.

Narrator: MITCH'S DISCOVERIES
ARE PROOF THAT THE ANCIENT KUY

WERE SMELTING IRON
ON A VAST SCALE.

THEY BUILT THEIR CHARCOAL
FURNACES FROM LOCAL CLAY

AND USED HUGE BELLOWS
TO FEED THEM WITH OXYGEN,

KEEPING THEM BURNING AT
A CONSTANT 1,800 DEGREES.

THEY FILLED THE FURNACES
WITH NUGGETS OF IRON ORE,

AND AFTER 15 HOURS,

BROKE THE FURNACE OPEN
TO RETRIEVE LUMPS OF IRON.

MITCH EXPECTS THE OTHER MOUNDS
IN THE AREA

TO BE FILLED
WITH SIMILAR REMNANTS

OF THE KUY'S EXTENSIVE
IRON INDUSTRY.

Hendrickson:
THIS IS ONE OF 12 MOUNDS

IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY.

THERE ARE PROBABLY HUNDREDS
OF DIFFERENT FURNACES

THAT WOULD HAVE
OPERATED AT THIS SITE,

AND THERE WOULD HAVE
BEEN HUNDREDS

AT EACH OF THE SITES NEARBY.

WE HAVE A MASSIVE EXPLOSION
OF IRON PRODUCTION,

WHICH SEEMS TO CORRELATE
AROUND THE TIME PERIOD OF

WHEN ANGKOR BEGINS TO ASSERT
ITSELF IN THE LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: ACCESS TO IRON
TRANSFORMED THE KHMER

INTO A MONUMENT-BUILDING,
WAR-WAGING EMPIRE.

BY THE 13th CENTURY,
THE WHOLE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

WAS PAYING TRIBUTE
TO THE KHMER KING.

ANGKOR WAT, WITH ITS SHEER
SIZE AND GRANDEUR,

WAS THE ULTIMATE SYMBOL
OF THE EMPIRE'S GREATNESS.

BUT THE ANCIENT KHMER
FACED A MONUMENTAL CHALLENGE.

ANGKOR WAT SITS ON SOFT,
SANDY SOIL,

SO TO KEEP THEIR
PRIZED JEWEL STANDING,

THEY NEEDED AN ENGINEERING
SOLUTION OF UNPRECEDENTED SCALE.

Narrator:
ANGKOR WAT IS THE LARGEST

SINGLE RELIGIOUS STRUCTURE
IN THE WORLD.

IT STANDS 213 FEET TALL,

CONTAINS OVER 5 MILLION
SANDSTONE BLOCKS,

AND WEIGHS OVER
HALF A MILLION TONS.

THIS EXTRAORDINARY
EDIFICE DEFIES

ACCEPTED ENGINEERING WISDOM.

IT HAS NO CONVENTIONAL
FOUNDATIONS.

YET DESPITE THIS,

ANGKOR WAT HAS OUTLIVED
THE CIVILIZATION WHO BUILT IT.

SO WHAT STOPS THIS
COLOSSAL STRUCTURE

FROM SINKING INTO
THE SOFT JUNGLE FLOOR?

THE WEATHERED WALLS OF THE
TEMPLE REVEAL ONE POSSIBLE CLUE.

WHERE THE BLOCKS OF SANDSTONE
HAVE FALLEN AWAY,

A MYSTERIOUS DIFFERENT TYPE
OF ROCK IS EXPOSED.

THIS REDDISH STONE IS FILLED
WITH POCKETS OF AIR.

IT'S CALLED LATERITE.

COULD THIS STRANGE
HONEYCOMB-LIKE ROCK

BE THE REASON ANGKOR WAT IS
STILL STANDING TODAY?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE REVEALED
THAT THE BASE OF THE TEMPLE

IS A MOUND OF COMPACTED EARTH

TOPPED WITH ROUGH BLOCKS
OF LATERITE

AND A THIN LAYER
OF SANDSTONE PAVING.

THE KHMER THEN USED HUGE
LATERITE BLOCKS

TO BUILD THE INNER
CORE OF THE TEMPLE...

...AND AGAIN COVERED IT
WITH SANDSTONE,

THIS TIME CARVING
AND POLISHING

THE FACADE TO HIDE THE JOINTS.

ALTHOUGH IT'S WELL HIDDEN,

ANGKOR WAT HAS A HEART
OF SPONGE-LIKE LATERITE.

BUT IS IT THERE TO STOP
THE TEMPLE FROM SINKING?

RESTORATION EXPERT
GINEVRA BOATTO

IS HUNTING FOR CLUES

AT THIS KHMER TEMPLE
NOT FAR FROM ANGKOR WAT.

AS RESTORERS DISMANTLE
AND REBUILD IT,

THEY REVEAL HIDDEN SECRETS
ABOUT CLEVER KHMER ENGINEERING.

GINEVRA'S TEAM IS CURRENTLY
RESTORING THE BUILDING'S

MANY LAYERS OF LATERITE
AND SANDSTONE.

IT'S A RARE OPPORTUNITY
TO INVESTIGATE

WHY THE KHMER CHOSE

THIS STRANGE COMBINATION
OF BUILDING MATERIALS.

THEY MUST REMOVE EVERY BLOCK
OF STONE TO REPAIR THE TEMPLE.

IT'S PAINSTAKING WORK.

EACH BLOCK OF THE INNER
LATERITE LAYER MUST BE RESTORED

BEFORE IT CAN BE
LIFTED BACK INTO THE WALL.

SURPRISINGLY, IT SEEMS THAT
WEIGHT IS NOT THE ANSWER.

LATERITE TURNS OUT TO BE
JUST AS HEAVY AS SANDSTONE,

DESPITE ITS HONEYCOMB
APPEARANCE.

BUT IF THE ANCIENT KHMER
DIDN'T USE LATERITE TO PREVENT

ANGKOR WAT FROM SINKING,

WHY DID THEY USE IT?

KHMER STONEMASONS COULD QUICKLY
CARVE LATERITE INTO THE BLOCKS

THEY NEEDED FOR THE INNER
LAYER OF ANGKOR WAT.

GINEVRA HAS SOLVED THE MYSTERY
OF ANGKOR WAT'S HONEYCOMB CORE,

BUT SHE'S STILL NO
CLOSER TO UNDERSTANDING

WHY THE GREAT TEMPLE HASN'T SUNK

INTO THE SOFT, SANDY FLOOR.

ENGINEER PEOU HANG BELIEVES
HE MAY HAVE THE ANSWER.

HE THINKS THE VAST MOAT
THAT ENCIRCLES THE TEMPLE

HAS A CRUCIAL ROLE TO PLAY.

KHMER ENGINEERS DUG A VAST MOAT,

MEASURING OVER THREE MILES
IN CIRCUMFERENCE

AND 650 FEET ACROSS.

HOW DID THIS GIANT BODY
OF WATER SUPPORT THE TEMPLE?

PEOU BELIEVES THE DRY SAND
UNDER ANGKOR WAT

SHOULDN'T BE ABLE
TO SUPPORT THE TEMPLE.

BUT ADDING WATER GLUES
THE GRAINS OF SAND TOGETHER,

MAKING THE SOFT GROUND
AS HARD AS CONCRETE,

ABLE TO SUPPORT MILLIONS
OF TONS OF WEIGHT.

BY DIGGING A MASSIVE MOAT
AROUND THE TEMPLE,

THE KHMER ENGINEERS
CREATED A VAST RESERVOIR ABLE

TO HOLD MILLIONS
OF GALLONS OF RAINWATER

SO THAT WHEN THE RAIN STOPPED,

WATER IN THE MOAT
SEEPED INTO THE SOIL,

PREVENTING THE TEMPLE
FROM COLLAPSING.

THE KHMER USED THIS BRILLIANT
TECHNIQUE TO SUPPORT MANY

OF THEIR TEMPLES.

INGENIOUS WATER ENGINEERING
HAS KEPT THESE GIANT TEMPLES

UPRIGHT THROUGHOUT
THE CENTURIES,

EVEN WITHOUT FOUNDATIONS.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THIS
PRECISE CONTROL OF WATER

MAY HAVE SPREAD THROUGH
ALL ASPECTS OF ANGKORIAN LIFE

FROM FARMING TO TRANSPORT
AND EVEN RELIGION.

SO HOW DID THEY DO IT IN A LAND
HIT BY CRIPPLING DROUGHT

FOR SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR?

Narrator: THE CIVILIZATION
THAT BUILT ANGKOR WAT

MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHED
400 YEARS AGO.

HISTORIANS HAVE TO HUNT
FOR CLUES TO THEIR LOST CULTURE

IN THE TEMPLES THEY LEFT BEHIND

AND THE SURROUNDING
RITUAL LANDSCAPE.

SIMON WARRACK IS UPRIVER
FROM ANGKOR WAT

SEARCHING FOR THE ORIGINS

OF THE KHMER'S NEAR-RELIGIOUS
OBSESSION WITH WATER.

Warrack: WATER IS AT THE HEART
OF THE INCREDIBLE SUCCESS

OF THE KHMER CIVILIZATION --

THE MANAGEMENT OF THE WATER

AND THEREFORE THE SACRED
NATURE OF WATER.

AND THAT'S WHY UP HERE
ON THE KULEN MOUNTAIN,

WE FIND A RIVER
WHERE THE BED OF THE RIVER

HAS BEEN CARVED WITH HUNDREDS
AND HUNDREDS OF LINGAS.

Narrator: SIMON BELIEVES THESE
SACRED LINGA CARVINGS

ARE OLDER
THAN THE TEMPLE OF ANGKOR WAT.

Warrack: LINGAS ARE A SYMBOL
OF FERTILITY,

WHICH GAVE
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

AND LUCK TO THE WATER,

WHICH WOULD THEN
GIVE GREATER BENEFIT

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY
OF ANGKOR,

WHICH WAS DEVELOPING
IN THE LANDS BELOW.

Narrator: SIMON'S THEORY IS THAT
THE KHMER CHOSE A LOWLAND SITE

FOR THEIR SHOWCASE TEMPLE

BECAUSE THIS VERY SPECIAL SOURCE
OF WATER FLOWED INTO IT.

AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE
DISCOVERED FURTHER CLUES

TO THE KHMER FIXATION WITH WATER

HIDDEN DEEP INSIDE
THE TEMPLE ITSELF.

ANGKOR WAT IS A SHOWCASE
OF WATER ENGINEERING.

THE ROOF TILES SLOPE
STEEPLY DOWN

SO RAINWATER RUNS OFF QUICKLY.

AND THE SANDSTONE WALLS HIDE
AN ELABORATE DRAINAGE SYSTEM.

DOZENS OF HOLES AND TUNNELS

CARVED RIGHT
INTO THE FABRIC OF THE TEMPLE.

RAIN FALLING ON
THE STATUE OF VISHNU

WAS TURNED INTO HOLY WATER,

THEN FLOWED OUTSIDE
FOR WORSHIPPERS TO WASH WITH.

BUT WHY WAS WATER SO CENTRAL
TO THE KHMER STATE OF MIND?

ENGINEER PEOU HANG BELIEVES
A CLUE CAN BE FOUND

IN AN ANCIENT KHMER STYLE
OF HOUSING

DESIGNED TO DEAL WITH FLOODS
DURING THE MONSOON SEASON.

THE ANCIENT KHMER FACED
AN INCREDIBLE CHALLENGE --

TO FEED THEIR GROWING POPULATION

IN THE FACE OF SUCH WILDLY
VARIABLE WATER LEVELS.

BUT BY PLACING THE CONTROL
OF WATER AT THE FOREFRONT

OF THEIR CIVILIZATION,

THEY WERE ABLE TO CREATE
THE PERFECT CONDITIONS

FOR GROWING THEIR MOST IMPORTANT
STAPLE CROP ALL YEAR ROUND.

TO GROW RICE, THE KHMER NEEDED
AT LEAST TWO INCHES OF WATER

IN THEIR PADDY FIELDS
AT ALL TIMES.

TO ACHIEVE IT,
THEY DUG VAST RESERVOIRS.

THE LARGEST OF THESE IS CALLED
THE WESTERN BARAY

AND IS STILL IN USE TODAY.

DURING THE MONSOON, THIS MIGHTY
RESERVOIR FILLS WITH WATER.

AND IN PERIODS OF DROUGHT,
FARMERS OPEN GIANT SLUICE GATES

TO DIVERT THE WATER
TO THEIR FIELDS.

THE NETWORK OF CANALS
IN USE TODAY

REPRESENTS JUST A SMALL FRACTION

OF THE KHMER'S
INGENIOUS IRRIGATION SYSTEM.

JUST NORTH OF ANGKOR, THE KHMER
DIVERTED THE PUOK RIVER

INTO THE SIEM REAP CANAL,

WHICH FED THE VAST BARAYS.

THEY DUG A NETWORK
OF CANALS

AND IRRIGATION CHANNELS
TO CARRY PEOPLE

AND GOODS ACROSS
THE MEGA METROPOLIS

AND CRUCIALLY TO SUPPLY WATER
TO THE PADDY FIELDS,

LEADING TO AN EXPLOSION
IN RICE PRODUCTION.

MOST PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
HAD JUST ONE ANNUAL HARVEST,

BUT THE INNOVATIVE
FARMERS AROUND ANGKOR WAT

COULD LOOK FORWARD
TO MULTIPLE CROPS.

ONCE AGAIN, THE KHMER HAD
TAMED THE ELEMENTS

AND TURNED THE TYRANNY
OF THE MONSOON

TO THEIR ADVANTAGE.

INGENIOUS ENGINEERING MEANT THEY
COULD FEED THE VAST POPULATION

NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE EXPANSION
OF THEIR EMPIRE.

FOR CENTURIES,
THE KHMER EMPERORS

ENJOYED UNRIVALED POWER,

BUT NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.

600 YEARS AGO,
THE TEMPLES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN

SUDDENLY ABANDONED

AND THE CITY THAT SURROUNDED
THEM LEFT TO RUIN.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Narrator: THE GREAT KHMER KING
SURYAVARMAN II BUILT

ANGKOR WAT AS A SYMBOL
OF HIS GODLIKE STATUS.

WITH ITS MAGNIFICENT
LOTUS TOWERS

AND CARVINGS OF HINDU GODDESSES,

THE TEMPLE WAS A RE-CREATION
OF HEAVEN ON EARTH.

900 YEARS LATER, IT REMAINS THE
SPIRITUAL CENTER OF CAMBODIA.

Warrack: THE TEMPLE WAS,
WHEN IT WAS BUILT,

AND REMAINS TO THIS DAY,

ABSOLUTELY THE HEART
OF THE KHMER PEOPLE.

EVERY CAMBODIAN ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD

WILL DREAM OF VISITING
THIS PLACE ONCE IN THEIR LIFE.

Narrator: TODAY BUDDHIST MONKS
USE THE TEMPLE AS A RETREAT.

THEY COME HERE
TO WORSHIP AND MEDITATE.

BUT THE VAST CITY
THAT ONCE SURROUNDED

ANGKOR WAT HAS VANISHED.

WHAT CAUSED THIS MIGHTY EMPIRE
TO SUDDENLY COLLAPSE?

SIMON WARRACK IS ON THE SIEM
REAP RIVER JUST NORTH OF ANGKOR

LOOKING FOR CLUES
TO THE DOWNFALL OF THE EMPIRE.

HE BELIEVES AN ATTACK
BY A FOREIGN POWER

IS THE MOST LIKELY ANSWER.

BUT HOW COULD THESE INVADERS
HAVE OVERCOME

THE FEARSOME ANGKORIAN ARMY?

IF YOU IMAGINE AN EMPIRE THE
SIZE OF THE ANCIENT ANGKORIANS,

WHICH STRETCHED ALL THE WAY
ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA,

THERE MUST HAVE BEEN
MORE FACTORS IN PLAY.

Narrator: SIMON SUSPECTS

THAT AN ENVIRONMENTAL
CATASTROPHE COULD HAVE WEAKENED

THE RESOURCES OF THE KHMER ARMY.

TODAY HE'S SEARCHING FOR
EVIDENCE TO PROVE HIS THEORY.

THIS BRIDGE HERE -- IT'S MADE
OF LOTS OF PIECES OF THE TEMPLE.

WE CAN SEE PIECES OF A VAULT.

WE CAN SEE CARVINGS.

SO IT MUST BE FROM
THE LATE ANGKORIAN PERIOD.

BUT THE CLUE TO WHAT HAPPENED
IS NOT SO MUCH IN THE PIECES

OF THE SUPERSTRUCTURE
BUT WHERE ITS FEET ARE.

Narrator: SIMON THINKS
THE POSITION OF THIS BRIDGE

HOLDS THE KEY

TO THE MYSTERIOUS COLLAPSE
OF THE KHMER EMPIRE.

THE FEET CLEARLY LIE
ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER,

AS IT WAS IN THE ANGKORIAN TIME.

THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER TODAY
IS WHERE I JUST CLIMBED UP FROM.

SO THERE'S BEEN
A DRAMATIC CHANGE

BETWEEN THE LATE
ANGKORIAN PERIOD AND TODAY.

Narrator: THE RIVERBED HAS
DROPPED BY AROUND 15 FEET.

Warrack: THIS CLEARLY SHOWS
THAT SOMETHING HAS FAILED.

IT COULD BE A CHANGE DUE
TO THE EROSION OF THE RIVERS

OR FAILURE IN THE WATER SYSTEMS.

Narrator: THE SIEM REAP RIVER
WAS A CRUCIAL SOURCE

OF WATER FOR IRRIGATION,

AND THE KHMER WENT
TO GREAT LENGTHS TO MANAGE IT.

Warrack:
THE WATER WAS HELD IN POSITION

BY THEIR DRAMATIC
CONTROL OF THAT CITY.

SO THEY WERE HOLDING THINGS UP
WITH SLUICES, WITH DAMS,

AND EVERYTHING
WAS UNDER CONTROL.

Narrator: BUT OVER TIME, EROSION
WORE AWAY THE RIVERBEDS,

AND THE WATER LEVELS DROPPED.

THE KHMER FARMERS STRUGGLED
TO DIVERT THE PRECIOUS WATER

TO THEIR FIELDS.

THE FAILING IRRIGATION SYSTEM
TRIGGERED FOOD SHORTAGES

AND WEAKENED THE KINGDOM.

THE KHMER WERE NO LONGER STRONG
ENOUGH TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

FINALLY, THE SIAMESE KINGDOM
OF AUTAYA LAY SIEGE

TO ANGKOR IN 1431
AND BROUGHT DOWN THE CITY.

THE GREAT KHMER EMPIRE
AND ITS MAGNIFICENT TEMPLES

WERE LOST TO THE JUNGLE.

TODAY, DESPITE THE COLLAPSE
OF THE CITY SURROUNDING IT,

ANGKOR WAT REMAINS AT THE
VERY HEART OF THIS NATION.

THIS TEMPLE IS
ON THE NATIONAL FLAG.

IT'S ON THE MONEY.

IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT SYMBOL
TO THE CAMBODIAN PEOPLE.

Narrator:
ANGKOR WAT IS A TESTAMENT

TO THE MIND-BLOWING ACHIEVEMENTS
OF A GREAT CIVILIZATION

WHO'VE MASTERED THE ELEMENTS,

HARNESSED THE POWER
OF THE MONSOON,

BUILT ON AN UNIMAGINABLE SCALE

WITH PHENOMENAL FEATS
OF ENGINEERING,

AND ACQUIRED
EXTRAORDINARY WEALTH,

LEAVING AS THEIR LEGACY
A TRULY AWE-INSPIRING MONUMENT.