Josh Gates ventures deep into the Cambodian jungle to explore Koh Ker, a once-mighty Khmer capital abandoned under mysterious circumstances nearly a thousand years ago. Working alongside Cambodian archaeologist Phin Phakdey, Gates excavates in front of Prasat Krachap temple, unearthing massive carved sandstone blocks buried for centuries. The team pieces together fragments of an ancient pediment—a triangular temple entrance adorned with vivid Hindu imagery, including depictions of Varuna, god of the west. Gates also meets a former soldier connected to Cambodia's tragic history of looting and searches submerged sites for priceless statues that may hold clues to why this flourishing city collapsed after only two decades as the empire's center.
The Khmer Empire dominated Southeast Asia for six centuries, but in the 10th century, King Jayavarman IV made the dramatic decision to relocate the capital from Angkor to the remote jungle site of Koh Ker, constructing an ambitious complex of palaces and temples. Just twenty years later, under his son Harshavarman's rule, the city was mysteriously abandoned and reclaimed by the jungle. What makes this expedition compelling is the rare opportunity to see freshly excavated artifacts emerge for the first time in a millennium, their carvings still sharp and detailed—offering a vivid window into Khmer religious devotion and artistic achievement while raising urgent questions about what forces could topple such an ambitious royal project so quickly.
Angkor Archaeological Complex
Cambodia · archaeological
Josh investigated the looting and theft of priceless Cambodian monuments, diving into murky moats to unearth stolen statues and missing pieces of national treasures.
Cambodian Temple Sites
Cambodia · archaeological
Josh Gates investigated the massive looting of Cambodian temple statues worth hundreds of millions, rappelling into crumbling pyramids and searching for missing monuments.
Koh Ker
Cambodia · archaeological
Gates investigates the ruins of Koh Ker, the remote 10th-century capital of the Khmer Empire, exploring its pyramid, temples, and ongoing excavations to understand why it was built and why it was suddenly abandoned.
National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh
Cambodia · cultural
Gates and Brad Gordon bring a sandstone pedestal fragment excavated at Prasat Krachap to the National Museum's conservation lab, where head conservator Chea Socheat tests it against the returned Skanda and Shiva statue and confirms a perfect physical match, reuniting a missing piece with the iconic sculpture.
Pacific Ocean - XP5Y-1 Crash Site
United States · historical
Josh searched the Pacific Ocean floor hundreds of feet below the surface for a top-secret WWII seaplane that crashed 70 years earlier, the only XP5Y-1 still in existence.
Prasat Krachap
Cambodia · archaeological
Gates excavates at Prasat Krachap temple, uncovering carved sandstone pediment pieces depicting the Hindu god Varuna, a lion statue, ancient inscriptions, and statue foot fragments that are later matched to a known looted sculpture. The dig confirms that stolen statues left fragments behind that can help identify and repatriate missing pieces.
Prasat Tam
Cambodia · archaeological
Gates meets lawyer Brad Gordon and a former looter codenamed 'Blue Tiger' at Prasat Tam, the heart of Koh Ker, where Blue Tiger describes statues that once stood here and reveals that the massive Dancing Shiva statue was dynamited by looters searching for hidden treasure, with fragments likely deposited in the surrounding moat.
Prasat Tam Moat
Cambodia · archaeological
Gates dives into the murky moat surrounding Prasat Tam while a VideoRay Defender ROV equipped with multibeam sonar scans the bottom, recovering carved sandstone fragments including a piece with snake-skin patterning consistent with a Naga serpent railing that once encircled the moat.
Rohal Reservoir and Dam, Koh Ker
Cambodia · archaeological
Gates meets archaeologist Sarah Klassen, who uses lidar data to show him the remains of a massive four-mile-long dam and the Rohal reservoir that once supplied Koh Ker with water. Evidence of a catastrophic spillway failure suggests this dam collapse may have fatally weakened the city, contributing to its rapid abandonment.