The Angkor Megacity - A *million* people (in the 12th century!)
ArsTechnica has a writeup on the LIDAR mapping of the Angkor region surrounding the Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom complex , and, [Scientists now have] solid evidence that the city of Angkor sprawled over an area of at least 40 to 50 square km. It was home to almost a million people. The scattered, moated complexes like Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom were merely the most enduring features of what we now know was the biggest city on Earth during the 12th and 13th centuries. The best part is that this allows us to cut through the myths and legends around Angkor This transformation of legend into fact has been a theme of the LiDAR surveys. Angkor's huge population is described in temple inscriptions and reports written by Chinese travelers who visited the city during the 12th century reign of King Suryavarman II, who built Angkor Wat. But historical sources are often exaggerated or incomplete. Plus, it was difficult for Western researchers to believe that the Khmer Empire's great...