2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Study on the stone materials and their deterioration in the Khmer monuments in Cambodia and Thailand
| Project/Area Number |
14404016
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Cultural property science
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
UCHIDA Etsuo Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Professor, 理工学術院, 教授 (40185020)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KOSHIISHI Naoyuki Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Associate Professor, 理工学術院, 助教授 (00257213)
HOSONO Takahiro Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Assistant, 理工学術院, 助手 (30367065)
SHIMODA Ichita Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Assistant, 理工学術院, 助手 (40386719)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
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| Keywords | Angkor monument / Khmer monument / sandstone / laterite / deterioration / magnetic susceptibility / stable isotope |
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| Research Abstract |
The stone materials used for the Khmer monuments, which are widely distributed in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos and were constructed from the 9^<th> to 13^<th> century, and their deterioration were investigated in this study. Sandstone, laterite and brick were used for the monuments, but the focus was put on the sandstone in this study.
For the Khmer monuments in Cambodia (generally called the Angkor monuments), the change with times of the characteristics of the sandstone and laterite blocks such as the magnetic susceptibility, shape and orientation of a bedding plane was investigated. Based on the result, construction process of the monuments was elucidated. Especially Prasat Suor Prat, whose construction period has been unknown, was concluded to have been constructed during the Angkor Wat period based on the characteristics of the stone blocks and the radioactive carbon age for the charcoal fragments found from the stucco on the inner wall and the soil put in the interstices of the lat
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erite blocks.
The salt weathering is one of the important causes of the deterioration of the sandstone blocks in the Khmer monuments. Two types of salt weathering are observed. One is observed in the inside of the buildings and is related to the crystallization of sulfates and phosphates, and another is observed on the surface of the sandstone blocks constituting the pyramid-type platform and is related to the crystallization of calcium carbonate. The stable isotope analyses of strontium and sulfur were carried out in order to clarify the source materials for the salt weathering. As a result, bat guano for the former and rainwater and sandstone for the latter are considered as the source materials, respectively.
For the Khmer monuments in Thailand and Laos, the description of the sandstones used for the monuments and the geological survey around the monuments were carried out in order to know the provenance. As a result, it is elucidated that the sandstones used for the monuments was controlled by the surrounding geology. Less
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