Visualizing Angkor

Having not known much about Angkor at all, I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon the digital humanities project Virtual Angkor 360 ( https://www.virtualangkor.com/ ), a sprawling three-sixty degree computer-generated visualization of ancient Angkor. The project is spearheaded by an assortment of different teams and groups; the visualization itself is done by Sensilab, while the research groups are comprised of multiple of professors at varying universities (https://www.virtualangkor.com/about at the bottom of the page).

Virtual Angkor promises a realistic and fully immersive recreation of Angkor with top-of-the-line modeling technology. Not only is the visualization of Angkor detailed, the project also provides modules that can guide the user through the different aspects of daily Angkor life by utilizing open-ended questions and further readings. The project is built around a limited set of sources, with the most important source being a primary source: Zhou Daguan’s A Record of Cambodia, one of the few detailed first-person accounts of the city through an outsider perspective. Other sources include translations of A Record of Cambodia, various secondary sources that provide a historical account of the city, and mapping projects that provide an archaeological basis for the layout of Angkor (Google Maps, etc).

The sources were translated into digital artifacts through an assortment of methodologies. Geographical sources were mapped and visualized in both birds-eye and 3D view. Accounts or visuals of tools were modeled in 3D space, allowing for a seemingly realistic level of physicality. Inhabitants, or agents, were also generated to simulate human and animal interaction and movement within the modeled city. The 360 degree visualization of the city can be utilized by many VR headsets and technologies like Google Daydream. Indeed, the simulation itself is a fully-realized and detailed archaeological and geographical project that allows for full immersion.

In terms of presentation, the website is structured as a guided experience through the simulations themselves, most of which are presented as 360 degree youtube videos exploring the most crucial aspects of Angkor city life. The three modules are split into the following categories: Power and Place, which explores Angkorian kingship through architectural detail, Water and Climate, an exploration into water management within Angkor, and Trade and Diplomacy, which dives into the marketplace and commercial sectors with Angkor. On top of these three modules are further vantage points to view Angkor; one can visualize Angkor from beautiful birds-eye views or explore the depths of the tunnels within the kingdom itself. The modules themselves are accompanied by guiding questions which allow students to ponder more about the scale and intricacies of the ancient city.

While the project does not seem to be open-sourced/open for contribution, it is certainly very transparent about its methodologies and its sources. It seems to directed mainly towards educators who wish to focus on Angkor history or students who are just intrigued about historical modeling or the city itself. I can see this project being tied to mainly archaeological or historical academic fields, as it is trying to visualize a city based on a small sample of primary sources. Indeed, the project itself not only raises questions about the nature of primary sources (how biased they can be), but also presents the scale of technological modeling and exploration despite only having one true primary source.