Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

/ 6 hours ago January 23, 2026

From NOVA PBS Official.

New evidence sheds light on the remarkable life – and mysterious collapse – of the ancient jungle city.

Official website: https://to.pbs.org/4bfXd12 | #novapbs

Uncover the lost secrets of a once-mighty empire. The city of Angkor, the seat of the great Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia for 500 years, was once the biggest city in the world. For centuries, this incredible civilization flourished, building the largest religious monument on Earth, Angkor Wat, and mastering urban engineering in a challenging landscape. But then it was mysteriously abandoned, swallowed by the jungle. Now, cutting-edge technology and new discoveries are finally revealing how this astounding empire rose to global prominence – and what likely led to its devastating collapse. Follow a scientific detective story that is challenging everything we thought we knew about this ancient metropolis.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
04:03 True Size of Angkor Wat Revealed by LIDAR
15:45 Engineering a Massive Temple on a Flood Plain
26:26 The Kings of the Khmer Empire
35:30 Why Was Angkor Wat Abandoned?
50:01 Conclusion

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Khmer empire, cambodia, asian temple, LIDAR technology, rice agriculture, hinduism, buddhism, angkor thom, bubonic plague

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