Tests have confirmed that a wooden boat found buried in a dry riverbed near Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex is from the early 13th century.

Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal said tests by a research institute in New Zealand confirmed the age of the 12.8-meter (42-foot) -long boat, which was carved from a single tree trunk.

He said it is the oldest boat ever found in Cambodia, and its discovery will be useful for scholars of the Angkor era, when the Khmer empire dominated the region from the 9th to 15th centuries.

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Tests have confirmed that a wooden boat found buried in a dry riverbed near Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex is from the early 13th century.

A farmer discovered the boat in April while digging mud from the riverbed, several miles from the temple complex.

The boat has been sunk in a pond in front of the temple to keep it preserved pending restoration for public viewing.

The Khmer empire was a powerful state in South East Asia, formed by people of the same name, lasting from 802 CE to 1431 CE.

One of the the empire's main strengths was its infantry and a self-developed navy that used boats such as this to attack enemies.

Temple carvings show large open boats that were propelled by oarsmen. The latest discovery could provide more details about this form of travel used by the Khmer people.

Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal said tests by a research institute in New Zealand confirmed the age of the 12.8-meter (42-foot) -long boat

A farmer discovered the boat in April while digging mud from the riverbed, several miles from the temple complex. The boat has been sunk in a pond in front of the temple to keep it preserved pending restoration for public viewing.

In 2012, the airborne Lidar system revealed a long-forgotten urban landscape in the jungle of Cambodia. The new research now reveals the sheer size of the ancient cities

It follows news by an Australian archaeologist who announced earlier this month that he and colleagues found evidence of previously undiscovered medieval urban and agricultural networks surrounding the ancient city of Angkor Wat.

Using high-tech lasers to scan the Cambodian jungle, Damian Evans and colleagues said they found traces of extensive networks surrounding the monumental stone temple complex at Angkor Wat.

Evans said their findings could further our understanding of Khmer culture and throw into question traditional assumptions about the decline of the empire.

For years, experts have proposed a variety of reasons for the collapse of the Khmer civilization in the 15th century, including invasions by Thai armies, social and religious change, internal power struggles, and overpopulation and prolonged drought which forced populations to relocate to southern Cambodia.

THE KHMER EMPIRE The Khmer empire was a powerful state in South East Asia, formed by people of the same name, lasting from 802 CE to 1431 CE. At its peak, the empire covered much of what today is Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam. By the 7th century CE, Khmer people inhabited territories along the Mekong river - the world's seventh longest river - from the delta to roughly the modern Cambodia-Laos border, plus the region between that river and the great Tonle Sap lake to the west. There were several kingdoms at constant war against each other, with art and culture heavily influenced by India due to long established sea trade routes with that subcontinent. Hinduism mostly, but Buddhism as well, were important religions in the region, mixed with animist and traditional cults. Important cities from that time include Angkor Borei, Sambor Prei Kuk, Banteay Prei Nokor and Wat Phu. Advertisement

The Angkor-period temple of Banteay Top, within the Banteay Chhmar acquisition block. Lidar revealed details of a large earthen enclosure and additional temple sites and occupation areas in the vicinity of this large stone temple

New images from the survey show ancient cities near Angkor Wat were much bigger than previously thought. Above, a shaded relief map of the terrain around the central monuments of Sambor Prei Kuk

While the research has been underway for several years, the new findings uncover the sheer scale of the Khmer Empire's urban sprawl and temple complexes to be significantly bigger than was previously thought.

Evans said a laser technology known as lidar was used to create precise maps of ancient networks that left only vague traces - invisible to the naked eye - in the landscape surrounding the temples.

'You could be standing in the middle of the forest looking at what appear to be some random lumps and bumps,' Evans said.

'But they might actually be evidence of old excavated ponds or built-up roadways,' he explained. 'All of these things left traces,