A team from the Angkor International Centre of Research and Documentation under APSARA National Authority (ANA) this week began excavating a ceramic kiln northwest of the Angkor Thom temple complex’s Dei Chhnang Gate (northern gate), ANA said in a statement on February 3.

The centre’s deputy director, Tin Tina said in the statement that his team had found another ceramic kiln in the same area in late 2019, following an excavation at an ancient mound called Tuol Trapaing Boss.

While other such kilns found in the Angkor area – including Tani, Khnar, Po Si and Anlong Thom – tend to have similar dimensions, the one discovered in 2019 was “almost round, with a diameter of 2m and a length of 3m”, he said.

And as the latest excavation kicks off, Tina is eager to confirm whether the kiln will turn out to be similar to the one found in 2019.

Researchers estimate that the 2019 kiln produced ceramics for around 100 years, from the mid-1100s to the mid-13th century.

Tuol Trapaing Boss translates as “Pausha pond mound”, where Pausha is a month of the Hindu calendar, which in local use corresponds to a lunar cycle starting the day after a new moon that typically – 60-70 per cent of the time – falls in December. Like in 2019 and 2024, this year was an exception, with the month of Boss taking place between January 3 and February 1.