Angkor Wat

  Angkor Wat   Where is Angkor? When was it constructed and by whom (what culture)? What are Angkor and Angkor Wat (they are two separate things, though one is contained within the other)? How is the Hindu religion reflected in Angkor Wat′s architecture? (You should go into some depth here and discuss at least two examples in detail). How do we see the religious affiliation shift through time, from Hinduism to Buddhism, in Angkor? Why is this important (what impact did the religious shift have on Khmer culture)? After going through the maps and other information of Angkor Wat and its layout, what patterns do you notice in the temple construction? Describe them and what they reflect about the builders of Angkor. [Hint: look at the architecture and its measurements, repeated numbers and more. How do these reflect the cycle of the year, Khmer/Hindu numerology and astronomy, etc?] What else do you find in your exploration of Angkor and its temples? (You should discuss something new here that you haven’t already said.) What does this tell you about the site and/or the people who made it? You’ve seen how the powerful exert their influence on society (e.g., the pyramids ofEgypt, the ziggurats of Mesopotamia, the Great Enclosure at Great Zimbabwe, not to mention Emperor Qin’s influence onChina, and you can likely think of more). How does Angkor compare or contrast with these other civilizations (pick two to compare/contrast)? Does political power in these ancient civilizations seem to be based in different realms than it is today? Why/why not? [Hint: “realms” for political power can be based in religion, economics, the military, etc – and there can be combinations of these.] What can we learn from Angkor that is applicable to our lives today? [Hint: you may find the ″recent research″ links most helpful here!]