
Earth Ancients
Dr. Edwin Barnhart: Angkor Wat, The Khmer and Uncovering the Zenith Passage
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- The Khmer temples in Angkor Wat were built to capture the sunlight during Zenith Passage, showcasing the Khmer's architectural and astronomical knowledge.
- There is a possible underwater bridge in the Indian Ocean that corresponds with the mythological bridge in the Ramayana epic, shedding light on the cultural significance of Lanka in Hindu cosmology.
Deep dives
The Significance of Zenith Passage in Angkor Wat
In this podcast episode, Dr. Edwin Barnard discusses the importance of Zenith Passage in the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Zenith Passage refers to the point when the sun is directly overhead, creating no shadow. While Zenith Passage happens in the tropics, the Maya and Khmer civilizations in the Tropic of Cancer region built temples and structures to capture the sunlight during this event. Dr. Barnard's research team discovered that the Khmer temples, such as those in Angkor Wat, had unique hollow beehive-shaped tops that allowed the sunlight to enter and intensify the interior during Zenith Passage. These constructions demonstrate the Khmer's architectural and astronomical knowledge, especially when it comes to this specific event. The podcast also explores connections between Zenith Passage and Hindu mythology, such as the myth of Lanka and the Hindu prime meridian. Despite the similarities in pyramid structures between the Maya and Khmer civilizations, Dr. Barnard emphasizes that it is not evidence of direct diffusion, but rather a result of the geographic and cultural context in which they were built.