via the Collector, 26 July 2024: The narrative of Angkor as a lost city rediscovered by Europeans is a myth. The Khmer people never abandoned it; instead, Angkor evolved over time due to societal and environmental changes. The idea of Angkor’s rediscovery by Europeans, particularly Henri Mouhot, reflects a colonial perspective and ignores the continuous Khmer connection to the site.
Despite this, a “lost city” narrative about the old Khmer capital emerged and was popularized after European colonization of the region. This version of the story is still prominent today and will casually be shared in documentaries, news articles, and popular history websites. This romantic version of events carries connotations of Western civilization having found what the native population had naively “lost.” This was also used to legitimize the colonial projects which followed. It is a misleading and patronizing understanding of Khmer history that needs to be challenged. Doing so requires knowledge of how this common trope about Angkor was created and about the transformation the Khmer civilization went through.
Source: Was Angkor Ever Lost? The Myth of French “Discovery”
