An Inscription Falsely Claimed as One Recovered at Angkor Borey
Over 1,000 ancient inscriptions from pre-Angkor and the Angkor empire have been found in Cambodia and former territories. Then, some images of the ancient inscriptions are often circulated on social media. As such, a photo of the ancient inscription was uploaded on Facebook last week with a caption saying it is the Khmer-language inscription recovered from Angkor Borey district. The post had been widely shared and commented on by Khmer-speaking Facebook users. However, we found the claim to be false.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
A photo of the Khmer inscription was circulated on social media last week with a caption written it is the early 7th century Khmer ancient inscription discovered in the Angkor Borey district.
The post had been widely shared and commented on by Khmer-speaking social media users who believe the information is true.
Below is the capture of the Facebook post on December 06, 2023, saying “17 million people of Cambodia share this post to let the world see that our Khmer scripts were first inscribed on an inscription at the Angkor Borey in 611 or early 7th century.”
A similar post was also circulated by Facebook users last week, leading to many shares and comments from social media users.
Below is the capture of the Facebook post on December 07, 2023, saying “[This is] a Khmer inscription in 611 A.D. or early 7th century at Angkor Borey.”
Below is another capture of a similar Facebook post saying “The earliest Khmer scripts were inscribed on a stone inscription in 611 early 7th century at the Angkor Borey.”
Other Facebook posts which share similar captions can be read here (archived) or via another link here (archived) and here (archived).
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began debunking the claim above by interviewing a professor specializing in Khmer inscriptions and reviewing existing historical studies. This leads us to find out the facts below.
To clarify this claim, Fact Crescendo Cambodia conducted an interview last Friday through Telegram with Ph.D. Vong Sotheara, a history professor at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
Responding to Fact Crescendo Cambodia’s questions, Professor Vong Sotheara dismissed the claim above, saying it is not the photo of the inscription found at Angkor Borey district.
He said the photo is of the inscription K.9 found at Phsar Daek – a former province of Cambodia located in south Vietnam.
Below is the photo of the inscription K.9 Professor Vong Sotheara sent to Fact Crescendo Cambodia on December 08, 2023.
For clear information, the professor who has conducted more than 25 years on ancient inscriptions across the country added the inscription K.9 was found in the early 20th century in the former territory of Cambodia. It was imprinted by George Cedes in his visit to the location in 1912.
The inscription has been preserved in Saigon Library in Ho Chi Minh City since 1928 up to these days.
Ph.D. Vong Sotheara continued the inscription dated back to 561 C.A. or 639 or 640 A.D. The inscription is inscribed in Khmer and Sanskrit languages, detailing worship toward Viresvara or Lord Shiva.
Read the full description of the inscription K.9 translated and explained by Professor Vong Sotheara in his book which is available here.
The description of the inscription K.9 in English can be fully read in an online library SEALANG here (archived).
The inscription K.600 which was discovered in the Angkor Borey district in Takeo province is believed to be the oldest Khmer-inscribed inscription with the exact date, according to Professor Vong Sotheara’s explanation in his book on pre-Angkor inscriptions of Cambodia published in 2003.
For the full explanation, please read his book which can be accessed here.
Below is the imprinted picture of the inscription K.600 which was published in Professor Vong Sothear’s book.
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found the claim described above is false. The photo is not of imprinted inscription retrieved from the Angkor Borey district. Factually, the inscription is of K.9 which was found in Phsar Daek province in the former territory of Cambodia.
Title:An Inscription Falsely Claimed as One Recovered at Angkor Borey
Written By: Jay UdomResult: False
