The construction process of the Angkor monuments elucidated by the magnetic susceptibility of Sandstone
Résumé :
The Angkor monuments in Cambodia are mainly constructed of grey to yellowish-brown
sandstones. No differences in the constituent minerals and in the chemical composition of
the sandstones have been confirmed among the monuments. However, we have found their
magnetic susceptibility a useful parameter by which to distinguish them. The principal
monuments of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei and Bayon, constructed
from the Angkor Wat period to the Bayon period (from the beginning of the 12th century to
the beginning of the 13th century AD), were investigated in detail using a portable magnetic
susceptibility meter. We succeeded in dividing the periods of construction into stages. This
elucidated the enlargement process of the monuments and correlated their construction
stages.