Utilizing airborne LiDAR technology, researchers have located a previously unknown Angkorian-era hospital and extensive healing garden complex in Cambodia’s remote northern provinces. The site consists of a central sandstone shrine surrounded by a series of interconnected medicinal ponds and terraced platforms. Historical records from the reign of King Jayavarman VII mention the construction of 102 hospitals, but this is the first time a site of this scale and complexity has been found in such a remote area.
The LiDAR imagery shows a highly organized hydraulic grid designed to provide fresh water to various species of medicinal plants. Excavations at the site have already recovered ceramic vessels containing traces of plant resins used in ancient Khmer medicine. This discovery emphasizes the sophistication of the Angkorian social welfare system and their deep knowledge of botanical pharmacology.