Angkor vanished at its height, and no one knew the reasons until recently. The city was extremely religious, and Buddhism eventually took over from Hinduism. But the temples still stand. This complete change switched up the government and changed royal authority. Here is where the stories of how it fell begin. Some say that because of this change the royal court left, others say that the economics of the place failed; still others believe that something might have led to a rebellion. None of these are completely true, but all are contributing factors. The center stage of their down fall was really something that helped them rise though: water. The people of Angkor had waterways, canals, and reservoirs that helped them conserve water during dry seasons. The widely excepted reason for why they fell now is that because of an extremely wet season, or year. It pushed beyond the amount of water the canals could hold and destroyed the carefully planed water system. Scholars went to the canals of Angkor and discovered their secrets, the reason for the fall of something so powerful.
by Sarah O., Period 8
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