Angkor's Agrarian Economy: A socio-ecological mosaic

Abstract

Angkor’s urban landscape consisted predominantly of open spaces in a low density settlement pattern. These open spaces supported a rich diversity of agrarian land uses including varying types of rice field cultivation, urban gardens and orchards, and a range of other crops and botanically useful species. Despite their central importance such agrarian spaces have not received the same amount of attention as the monumental elements of the archaeological landscape. This chapter prioritises and critically analyses such agrarian open spaces using archaeobotanical, remote sensing, and anthropological sources. Agrarian rice field, arboriculture and garden systems provide insight on the positioning of temples and other urban features and offer rich insights on environmental modifications of the landscape. We present such insights through three vignettes of different environmental patches in the civic ceremonial core, the inner and outer suburban landscapes. Each presents specific information about the planning, management, and use of Angkor’s agrarian landscape.