Western Prasat Top Site Survey Report on Joint Research for the Protection of the Angkor Historic Site（2012）

 

Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties Monograph No.90

 

Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties 2012

 

Western Prasat Top Site Survey Report on Joint Research for the Protection of the Angkor Historic Site

 

Edited by Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

 

© Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

March 2012

 

Contact to

Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

2-9-1, Nijo-cho, Nara shi, Nara Pref. 630-8577, JAPAN

Tel:+81-742-30-6839

 

NARA Siem Reap Office

Group 2, Kok Chak Village, Tra Peang Ches Commune, Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

Translation from Japanese to English:

ISHIMURA Tomo, TASHIRO Akiko, SATO Yuni, JAPAN TRANSLATION CENTER

Photographs and Drawings

© NARA National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

Published by Digital Advertising

#90. Street 44MC, Sangkat Stung Meanchey, Khan Meanchey, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 

Preface

The Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties was founded at the historic city of Nara in 1952, as a national institution. Initially our major task was to implement comprehensive research on cultural properties including historic buildings, fine arts, old documents, historic gardens and archaeological sites, and to utilize the research achievements for safeguarding the properties. Thereafter, corresponding to the change in social conditions and responding to the demands of the times, the organization of our institute has been expanding and been reformed. Today our major task is to carry out archaeological investigations at the Nara Palace site and the Fujiwara Palace site, the imperial citadel sites in ancient Japan. In addition, we are engaged in a variety of activities regarding conservation and utilization of cultural assets, such as providing training courses for staffs from local administrative services concerning cultural properties, developing technologies for conservation science, planning to utilize archaeological site for the public and promoting research on cultural landscape.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. Recently, activities of overseas cooperation utilizing our experience for safeguarding cultural heritage have now become one of our important tasks. In addition, we at the institute have achieved tangible results in academic exchange and cooperative research with the counterparts in other countries.

This report includes a part of the achievements of the cooperative research between Cambodia and Japan for safeguarding the archaeological sites of Angkor, commenced in 1993 upon the request of the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs. We at the institute have already achieved significant success in archaeological survey at the site of Banteay Kdei and excavation at the Tani kiln site. At present we have carried out investigation at the site of Western Prasat Top since 2001. Last year we published research report that summarized our achievements in the last decade in a Japanese version. In this year we bring the research report of English edition to publication, in order to share the information of our achievements with the Cambodian and international colleagues. It will be a real pleasure for me that our work will contribute to further understanding of the Angkor sites and to promotion of the heritage conservation.

Finally I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the staff members of the APSARA National Authority and the bodies concerned, and I would like you to extend your kind understanding and cooperation with our project. I hope this will contribute to further expansion of friendly relations between Cambodia and Japan.

 

March 2012

 

Keiji Matsumura

Director General

Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

 

Contents

Part 1 General Overview 11

Section 1 Background of Joint Research 11

Section 2 Previous research on the Western Prasat Top site 14

Section 3 Background of the Western Prasat Top Site Investigation 18

Part II Architectural Investigation Results 31

Section 1 Overview of the Western Prasat Top site 31

Section 2 Comparative Survey 73

Section 3 The evolution of the Western Prasat Top monastery 98

Part III Archaeological Investigation Results 123

Section 1 Relics and remains 123

Section 2 Relics 137

Section 3 Investigation of decorative stonework 160

Part IV Outcome of the Conservation Science Report 165

Section 1 Stone observation 165

Section 2 Stone properties 170

Section 3 White deposition 175

Section 4 Exposure test 181

Section 5 Conclusion 182

Part V Discussion 185

Section 1 Outcome of architectural research 185

Section 2 Outcome of archaeological research 187

Section 3 Tree types and periods of carbonized wood unearthed from the Western Prasat Top Site 192

Section4 Note on Some Archaeological Objects Discovered at the vihar of the Western Prasat Top 194

Section5 Khmer Stoneware Ceramic from Western Top Temple Preliminary Analyze on Khmer Unglazed, Green and Brown Glaze Wares 197