Paper short abstract:

The primary goal of the systematic archaeological research works at Prasat Krachap was the investigation of the original built structures and anthropogenic environment of the building complex, before long-term research and planned reconstruction works.

Paper long abstract:

In 2011, the Hungarian Indochina Company and the Hungarian Southeast Asian Research Institute, in close cooperation with the APSARA National Authority launched systematic archaeological research work at Prasat Krachap. The trial trenching works constituted the preparatory phase for a long-term archaeological and reconstruction programme, which is aimed to excavate the building complex and unveil its once-inhabited surroundings. As a result of systematic field walking and archaeological investigations, we found the ruined storage building in front of the entrance and the sandstone-covered original floor level inside the sanctuary area, and we have excellent information about the sophisticated basement structure and periods of the building complex. On the basis of the LIDAR analysis we identified an original, laterite-made road construction towards the Rahal and close to this construction we found a few marks of the extraction of sandstone. The archaeological finds that came to light in the surface collection and excavations offered a rich resource of information on the operation of Prasat Kracap and the everyday life of those living in its surroundings. The density of fragments in certain places indicated that the direct environs of the Prasat must also have been inhabited. The preliminary examination of the finds demonstrated an active and intense contemporary life both in the immediate neighbourhood and the surrounding area of the building complex between the 10th-11th and the 11th-13th centuries.