Syke-Bagh Rock Shelter
Syke-Bagh
Ubaid (6500–3800 BCE)·Ubaid·🇰🇭 Preah Vihear, Cambodia
About
About Syke-Bagh Rock Shelter
Syke-Bagh Rock Shelter in Preah Vihear, Cambodia is a Ubaid (6500–3800 BCE) rock art attributed to Ubaid culture. Systematically investigated through systematic survey and coring, it presents a principal enclosure with hydraulic works. Construction employs mudbrick on stone socle and demonstrates long-distance exchange. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Ubaid rock-art with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Water management and resilience
- 02Population scale vs catchment
Theories
- 01Elite residence and administrative centre
- 02Defensive refuge and tribal capital
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 5083 BCE
- Period
- Ubaid (6500–3800 BCE)
- Culture
- Ubaid
- Purpose
- Necropolis and ritual
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 5083 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 4283 BCE
Major expansion and monumental elaboration
c. 679 BCE
Rebuilding and fortification phase
1981
Modern archaeological excavation and survey
On the ground
Structures & features
13.4191° N · 105.2993° E · 1150 m · 4 mapped features
- Hydraulic ChannelpetroglyphBurial zone — shaft tombs13.4193° N · 105.2987° E
- Temple PlatformreservoirHydraulic feature — aqueduct13.4181° N · 105.2988° E
- Hydraulic Channel 3hydraulicAncillary settlement associated with main monument13.4179° N · 105.3007° E
- GatewayrampartPrimary rock art at Syke-Bagh Rock Shelter — enclosure wall13.4207° N · 105.3021° E