The Ancient City of Angkor Wat Had a Population Larger Than Modern-Day Boston, According to New Archaeological Research
Using LiDAR and machine learning, archaeologists estimate the population in the Greater Angkor Region may have hit 900,000.
May 10, 2021
The face towers at the Bayon Temple are a well-known feature of the downtown area of the greater Angkor region. Photo by Alison Carter, courtesy of the University of Oregon.
The massive temple complex that is Cambodia’s Angkor Wat is famed as the world’s largest religious monument. Now, researchers have determined the city’s population at its zenith in the 13th century, and the number is impressive: some 700,000 to 900,000 people likely called the Angkor region home, making it one of the world’s largest pre-modern cities. Compare that with the 2019 estimated population for Boston, at 692,600.