Angkor Borei
Angkor Borey · Vyadharapura (candidate)
Protohistoric Funan to Chenla (c.400 BCE–800 CE, peak 2nd–7th cent CE)·Funan (Mekong Delta Oc Eo–Angkor Borei)·🇰🇭 Takeo Province, Angkor Borei District, Mekong Delta elevated island, Cambodia
About
About Angkor Borei
Funan-period delta capital 10 km from modern Vietnam border, moated brick city 300 ha on elevated Mekong Delta island with Phnom Da granite hill yielding earliest Khmer sculptures (6th cent Vishnu) and inscriptions (1523 BC? actually 1523?? 400 BCE–500 CE layers). Excavated 1995–96 by M. Stark (Hawaii), with Asram Moha Russei temple, Chinese-documented Funan–Chenla transition and protohistoric bead workshop linking Oc Eo–Mekong exchange.
Why it mattersFunan delta capital — 300 ha moated city with Phnom Da hill earliest Khmer sculptures
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Vyadharapura identification vs Oc Eo capital?
- 02Moated brick vs later Angkor hydraulic continuity
Theories
- 01Mekong Funan delta urbanism model: Oc Eo port ↔ Angkor Borei capital dyad
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.400 BCE
- Period
- Protohistoric Funan to Chenla (c.400 BCE–800 CE, peak 2nd–7th cent CE)
- Culture
- Funan (Mekong Delta Oc Eo–Angkor Borei)
- Builders
- Funanese → Khmer
- Purpose
- Mekong Delta Funan capital on delta island with Phnom Da hill
- Abandoned
- c.800 CE
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.400 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1060 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
10.9950° N · 104.9747° E · 5 m · 2 mapped features
Moated city interior
urban gridBrick platform city within moat and wall circuit 300 ha
10.9953° N · 104.9750° EPhnom Da hill temples
temple complexGranite hill Asram Moha Russei and early Vishnu temples
10.9920° N · 104.9780° E
Gallery