Sediments from one of the reservoirs in Angkor’s water system suggest that there was a drop in water levels at the time the Khmer Empire collapsed. “Angkor can be an example of how technology isn’t always sufficient to prevent major collapse during times of severe instability,” said Mary Beth Day of the University of Cambridge.

Recent flooding in Thailand has damaged historic books in several libraries. German experts in book conservation and restoration are assisting Thai librarians and Buddhist monks with the monumental task of rescuing the damaged tomes. “We’re really very grateful for the many tips,” said Maha Srithon Samajaro.

An ancient stone platform on the Big Island of Hawaii that was damaged by last spring’s tsunami has been restored. Volunteers contributed 3,000 hours to the project.

An emergency landfill to take Rome’s garbage could be opened near Hadrian’s Villa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to watch the video for views of the villa and the dump site.

The Bureau of Land Management conducted an environmental assessment of a new route for a natural gas pipeline through Utah’s Nine Mile Canyon and found that it would not have a significant impact on archaeological sites. Comments on the proposal are now being accepted.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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