There is a growing need to understand aspects of occupation in Angkor if we are to answer questions associated with abandonment etc. As such, this thesis seeks to shed light on the people that built the infrastructure which enabled Angkor to remain the centre of Khmer power for so long, and to assess the data collection techniques, particularly subsurface techniques, that have and are used within the Greater Angkor region. While archaeological excavation is a technique which has been employed since the re-discovery of Angkor in the mid 1800s, the focus of research has largely remained on architecture, epigraphy and art.

This study focuses on the two primary topographic features on which we typically identify medieval Khmer habitation, mounds and embankments, in the hope of identifying a ‘signature of occupation’. As part of this thesis twelve sites were initially assessed as potential excavation sites. Of these sites only the modern village of Nokor Krau and Run Ta-Ek resulted in excavation. Site selection was based on three primary criteria: configuration, spatial relationship to infrastructure, and surface scatters of ceramics. Surface scatters of ceramics were collected/recorded prior to excavation, and then compared with the material recovered during excavation. Soil samples were also collected during excavation for sediment size analysis, as well as for floatation processing. Ultimately, these data sets are then compared and assessed within the context of the existing corpus of literature that represents the field work carried out since the mid 1880s. 

While it is clear that there are many pitfalls when studying occupation sites in the Greater Angkor region, the cross-disciplinary approach employed will allow this study to contribute to the growing movement away from monument archaeology and towards a greater understanding of the daily life of Khmer people. It will also provide a reference on which future researchers can call upon, particularly those who employ archaeological excavation. It is only by establishing a methodological ‘baseline’ that we will be able to develop better techniques for studying the ephemeral nature of Khmer settlement.