What ARE the buried buildings of Angkor Wat? Researchers discover ancient temple was surrounded by a 1-mile long 'mysterious structure' with towers and a giant SPIRAL of sand

Archaeologists find buried towers, and a massive spiral sand structure

The findings suggests different social structure than previously believed

Wooden defense structures thought to mark beginning of Angkor's demise

King Suryavarman II had Angkor Wat built as a Hindu temple to the god Vishnu 

Sprawling structures forming the shape of a giant spiral and an ensemble of buried towers have been dug up from the grounds of Angkor Wat, spurring new mysteries about the ancient temple.

It was once believed that the Cambodian temple was surrounded sacred precincts, or 'temple cities.

After finding a massive sand structure and other buried remnants of the long-gone society, archaeologists are now saying Angkor Wat was much more complex than previously imagined.

Using laser airborne scanning (LiDAR) technology and ground penetrating radar, researchers were able to map the locations of eight buried towers found on the grounds of Angkor Wat. These are indicated in bright yellow.

Researchers from the University of Sydney, leading the Greater Angkor Project in Cambodia, dug up the artefacts using laser airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) technology, along with ground penetrating radar.

Archaeologists mapped the ancient temple grounds through targeted excavation.

The team led by Professor Roland Fletcher and Dr. Damian Evans discovered a structure more than 1500 m long, running along the south side of Angkor Wat.

The spiral structure is difficult to make out from the ground, and is largely a mystery to the researchers.

In the paper, the researchers say 'the huge, unique and problematic structure of the ‘rectilinear spirals’, has never previously been recognized or even predicted, or supposed, and it still defies explanation.'

Along with this, they found buried towers, which were demolished during construction of the main temple. The researchers believe this may be the remnants of an ancient shrine.

'This structure, which has dimensions of more than 1500m x 600m, is the most striking discovery associated with Angkor Wat to date,' said Professor Fletcher, from the University's Department of Archaeology.

'Its function remains unknown and, as yet, it has no known equivalent in the Angkorian world.'

'Quite how the spirals functioned is not at all clear,' Evans and Fletcher wrote.

Evans and Fletcher found that the spiral structure was not in use for long. 

A canal that cut through the spiral design was built later in the 12th century.

'The spiral features would only have been functional for a brief period during the mid-to-late twelfth century A.D.,' Evans and Fletcher wrote. 

They say that it's possible the spiral structure was never completed.

Evidence of low-density communities now have researchers questioning the social structure that once was.

Researchers mapped the areas surrounding Angkor Wat. The new discoveries have led to the belief that the temple society was much more complex than once believed. The researchers found evidence of roads, ponds, and mounds, which may have been used by workers of the temple (right).

The researchers also found a spiral sand structure, above, which has dimensions of more than 1500m x 600m. One researcher is calling this find 'the most striking discovery associated with Angkor Wat to date,' though its function is still unknown

The researchers found evidence of roads, ponds, and mounds, which may have been used by workers of the temple.

'This challenges our traditional understanding of the social hierarchy of the Angkor Wat community and shows that the temple precinct, bounded by moat and wall, may not have been exclusively the preserve of the wealthy of priestly elite,' says Dr. Fletcher.

It has previously been assumed that enclosed spaces within Angkor Wat indicated cities or towns. Moats, walls, and other infrastructure kept each area contained.

Researchers believe that these closed off urban areas differed significantly from the regions outside.

Wooden structures also found at the site suggest that Angkor Way may have enhanced its defense capabilities near the end of its operation. Construction of these structures are thought to be one of the last major builds to take place at the temple. 

Ankor Wat (pictured) was built by King Suryavarman II had Angkor Wat built as a Hindu temple to the god Vishnu in the early 12th century

Angkor Wat is the first and only known example of an Angkorian temple being systematically modified for use in a defensive capacity,' says Dr. Fletcher. 

The researchers speculate that the wood structure may have been produced between AS 1297 and 1585, with earlier defensive constructions, or between 1585 and the 1630s, to mark the beginning of the end of Angkor, as the neighbouring city, Ayutthaya bore down upon it.

'Either date makes the defences of Angkor Wat one of the last major constructions at Angkor and is perhaps indicative of its end.

At Angkor Wat, sunlight around the towers creates a shadow image of the peaks, casting them onto carved pillars. Sprawling structures and an ensemble of buried towers dug up recently have spurred new mysteries about the ancient temple

King Suryavarman II had Angkor Wat built as a Hindu temple to the god Vishnu. 

The temple has a 213-foot-tall (65 meters) central tower that is surrounded by four smaller towers and a series of enclosure walls. 

The layout 'is considered to correspond with the cosmology of Mount Meru and the surrounding Sea of Milk from which ambrosia was churned by the gods and demons,' wrote a research team in an article published this month in the journal Antiquity. 

A view of the Angkor Wat grounds. Evidence of low-density communities now have researchers questioning the social structure that once was. It was previously believed that the Cambodian temple was surrounded sacred precincts, or 'temple cities

A researcher uses ground penetrating radar to track the location of buried towers. The team was led by Professor Roland Fletcher and Dr. Damian who mapped the ancient temple grounds through targeted excavation