Cambodia: 800-year-old boat unearthed

Tests have confirmed that a wooden boat found buried in a dry riverbed is from the early 13th century, according to an official at the agency overseeing Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat temple complex (pictured).

Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal said that tests by a research institute in New Zealand confirmed the age of the 12.8-meter-long boat, which was carved from a single tree trunk. He said it is the oldest boat ever found in Cambodia.

A farmer discovered the boat in April 2016 while digging mud from the riverbed, several kilometers from the temple complex. Officials sank the boat in a pond in front of the temple to keep it preserved pending restoration.

The Associated Press