Fuelling the Khmer: An Anthracology of Forest and Tree Management Practices at Angkor

Alexandra Ribeny1*, Emilie Dotte-Sarout2, Tim Denham1, and Mitch Hendrickson3

Numerous hypotheses surround the causes that led to the political collapse of the Khmer Empire of Angkor (9th - 15th centuries CE) and abandonment by its population. Implicit in these is the assumption that deforestation and forest resource exploitation were undertaken on a massive scale in connection with the growth and expansion of the empire. However, the dynamics of this phenomenon have not been thoroughly investigated. Anthracology, the study of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains, is well-positioned to address such questions, but has remained significantly underutilised in Southeast Asia. This project seeks to address this disparity by undertaking the first systematic anthracological study of Angkorian wood fuel procurement and arboricultural systems. The research concentrates on iron production at the site of Tonle Bak in Central Cambodia, where the scale and timing of wood fuel consumption has been well-established through the Industries of Angkor Project (INDAP); while the incorporation of charcoal assemblages from various Angkorian and pre-Angkorian sites will allow a comparative analysis of the ways in which wood fuel was exploited. This research will offer critical new insights into how the ancient Khmer managed and interacted with their forested surroundings and the mechanisms of a wood fuel procurement system which was both massive in scale and vulnerable to external factors. It will include the first wood charcoal reference collection and anatomy database for the region, an essential resource for the continued development of anthracology in Southeast Asia.