Magnificent Sandstone Statue Uncovered Near Legendary Cambodian Temple
Source: Gizmodo
Describing it as something that only happens in the movies, a team of Cambodian archaeologists have uncovered an 800-year-old sandstone statue weighing 440 pounds. Experts say it’s the most significant statue to be discovered in the famous archaeological site of Angkor Park in years.
Archaeologists and looters have been sifting through the dirt of Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park for years, and these days very little is unearthed other than the odd pottery shard. This area is home to the largest religious monument in the world—a Hindu temple built by the Khmer empire in the early 12th century, and later transformed into a Buddhist monument. So imagine the surprise when archaeologists with the Apsara Authority, the government organization that manages Angkor Park, unearthed this incredible statue, just 16 inches underground.
As The Cambodia Daily reports, the sandstone statue was discovered on the second day of an excavation at Angkor Park, a popular tourist destination. The statue, which once stood six feet and three inches high, is missing its arms and lower legs, but the remainder is surprisingly intact. Engravings on its body and head are still clearly visible. Authorities say the statue will be studied, cleaned, and put on public exhibition in a museum at the northwestern province of Siem Reap, where Angkor is located.
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LINK:
http://gizmodo.com/magnificent-sandstone-statue-uncovered-near-legendary-c-1797426629