My Book

While I work on The Kings of Angkor again. It seems I am forever working on it. Final page proofs keep coming back and with the publication date of June of this year coming up quickly things need to be right.
I am adding a link to a book I have that was done one hundred years ago. It is of sketches that are of the Royal Dancers, the modern counterparts of the Apsaras who grace the walls of Angkor Wat.
Now I may have said this in the past but my take on the reasons why there are so many bas reliefs of these women is I think they were the keepers of the temples. I think they served many roles there at Angkor Wat. Be it dancer, protectors (don't laugh) women in the military is nothing new. China had women in an Elite force who guarded the King. Who would suspect beautiful women who danced around the palace? They were probably also lovers and concubines to the Kings and others in that circle. We will never know for certain but one thing is for certain they were important enough to grace the walls of the largest religious structure ever to be built. If you look at Angkor Wat proper that means all the temples that include Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom from NASA photos from space you can easily fit NYC inside Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temple complex.
If you can't just click and get to the link, copy and paste. I am having trouble adding to my blog, but they are well worth the look.
Now back to writing, editing and studying...
http://natgeotv.com/asia/ancient-megastructures/videos/angkor-wat-city-on-water
http://www.cambodiandancers.com/cd.php?page=photo_gallery
http://issuu.com/lightmediation/docs/le_ballet_royal_du_cambodge_3695/9?mode=embed&documentId=081215163026-3a1cf6c0e6e34e18aa87b7a40ea19d96&layout=grey