{"podcast":{"title":"The Khmer Empire's Sudden Collapse Explained — Fexingo History","slug":"the-khmer-empire-s-sudden-collapse-explained-fexingo-history-7829682","podcast_index_feed_id":7829682,"rss_url":"https://feeds.fexingo.com/history/the-khmer-empires-sudden-collapse-explained.xml","website_url":"https://www.fexingo.com/history/the-khmer-empires-sudden-collapse-explained/","image_url":"https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-khmer-empires-sudden-collapse-explained/cover.png","author":"Fexingo","episode_count":166,"summary":"Built around the enigmatic ruins of Angkor Wat, the Khmer Empire once dominated Southeast Asia, but its sudden collapse in the 15th century remains one of history's great puzzles. Lucas and Luna guide listeners through the empire's rise under Jayavarman II, its golden age under Suryavarman II, and the gradual unraveling that followed. They examine the religious shift from Hinduism to Theravada Buddhism, the massive water management system that sustained Angkor, and the environmental stresses—droughts, floods, deforestation—that may have triggered its downfall. The show delves into the sacking by Ayutthaya in 1431, the abandonment of the capital, and the migration south to Phnom Penh. It also explores modern debates: was the collapse sudden or a slow decline? How did climate change and infrastructure failure intersect with foreign invasions? And what can the Khmer Empire's fate teach us about resilience and vulnerability in our own era of environmental change? #KhmerEmpire #AngkorWat #SuryavarmanII #JayavarmanII #Ayutthaya #TheravadaBuddhism #AngkorThom #SoutheastAsia #MedievalHistory #RiseAndFall #ClimateChange #WaterManagement #AncientCivilizations #Cambodia #History #WorldHistor…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-19T00:20:54.064403+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-khmer-empire-s-sudden-collapse-explained-fexingo-history-7829682"},"episode":{"title":"The Poisoned Wells of Angkor: Did Warfare Pollute the Water?","slug":"the-poisoned-wells-of-angkor-did-warfare-pollute-the-water","published_at":"2026-06-22T00:51:56+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-khmer-empire-s-sudden-collapse-explained-fexingo-history-7829682/the-poisoned-wells-of-angkor-did-warfare-pollute-the-water","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-khmer-empire-s-sudden-collapse-explained-fexingo-history-7829682","url":"https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-khmer-empires-sudden-collapse-explained/episode-0114.mp3","audio_url":"https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-khmer-empires-sudden-collapse-explained/episode-0114.mp3","summary":"Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known theory for the Khmer Empire's collapse: biological warfare and water contamination. In 1431, as Ayutthayan forces besieged Yasodharapura, did they intentionally poison the city's reservoirs, or did the massive death toll from battle and disease corrupt the water supply? The episode examines the evidence from the siege, the city's intricate water management system, and accounts from the Ming shi lu. They discuss how corpses in the barays could have spread cholera and typhoid, contributing to the abandonment of Angkor. A specific focus on the West Baray and the role of the Tonle Sap river system adds fresh context. #KhmerEmpire #Angkor #Ayutthaya #Warfare #WaterPollution #BiologicalWarfare #1431Siege #Yasodharapura #WestBaray #TonleSap #MingShiLu #Disease #Cholera #Typhoid #BorommarachaII #PonheaYat #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo","meta_description":"Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known theory for the Khmer Empire's collapse: biological warfare and water contamination. In 1431, as Ayutthayan forces be…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":408,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-khmer-empire-s-sudden-collapse-explained-fexingo-history-7829682/episodes/the-poisoned-wells-of-angkor-did-warfare-pollute-the-water/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-khmer-empire-s-sudden-collapse-explained-fexingo-history-7829682/the-poisoned-wells-of-angkor-did-warfare-pollute-the-water.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}