The sites of the Memot Circular Earthworks are located mostly in discrete eastern Cambodia and border of Vietnam in spaces between lowlands and uplands through the

Mekong delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...

. Each earthwork is a set of two circular embankments that surround an inner platform that is slightly curved. These sites have been studied systematically starting in the 1960s. Each site is unique to the archeological artifacts found there, and studies show that these sites were inhabited over thousands of years. The current landscape of the region may contribute to the underrepresentation of these earthworks in the field of archeology, as the majority of these sites are located in modern rubber tree plantations. Many of the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period and other prehistoric sites have yet to be studied, however, as political unrest in

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

has contributed to inconsistencies in archeological fieldwork.

Features

When identifying circular earthworks in the red soil region, similar features are noted. Many circular earthworks consist of two circular moats around a slightly curved, inner platform. One larger embankment encircles a second embankment, with a slightly curved platform in the middle. In eastern Cambodia, some sites have even been recorded as exceeding 4.5

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

History

Excavation history

Circular earthworks in the

red soil Red soil is a type of soil that typically develops in warm, temperate, and humid climates and comprises approximately 13% of Earth's soils. It contains thin organic and organic-mineral layers of highly leached soil resting on a red layer of alluv ...

region were identified by

Louis Malleret Louis Malleret (1901–1970) was a French archaeologist. Malleret together with Paul Levy are credited with first reporting the archeological site An Son in Southern Vietnam Southern Vietnam () is one of the three geographical regions of Vie ...

in 1959. He recorded 17 earthworks from

aerial photography Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other flight, airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wi ...

along the Cambodia-Vietnam border. Malleret believed these sites to be from the

period, though this was based on preliminary analysis rather than archeological excavations. This culture received its name in 1962 by Bernard Philippe Groslier, who excavated a site, ultimately developing the name "Memotien" as a result of its proximity to the

Memot District Memot District (, ) is a district (''srok'') in Tboung Khmum Province, Cambodia. The district capital is Memot town, around east of the provincial capital of Kampong Cham by road. Memot is a border district and the city of Tây Ninh in Vietna ...

in Cambodia. Unfortunately, Groslier did not record or disclose the exact location of said excavations. Geologist J.P. Carbonnel confirmed sites identified by Mallaret in 1970, including those at Memot and Krek. In 1981, Ngyuen Trung Do and Ngyuen Long from the Institute of Social Sciences in

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

continued excavating one of the sites previously identified by Mallaret. Further excavations into the circular earthworks at Krek took place from 1996 to 2001, by students from the

Royal University of Fine Arts The Royal University of Arts (RUA or RUFA; , ALA-LC: ; ) is a university in Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh specialising in architecture and fine arts. It is the oldest university in Cambodia, having been in existence since 1917. It is part of Pnom In ...

in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Diorama Memot Earthwork

Archeological findings

The acidity of the red soil region makes the discovery of some artifacts difficult, as organic materials are unlikely to preserve in acidic environments. Preserved artifacts in the archeological record suggest that the interior platforms were likely to be the most densely inhabited. Approximate dates for habitation are 2300-3000 BCE. The limited amounts of artifacts leads investigators to surmise the size of the population as not exceeding 100 people.

Subsistence patterns

There is evidence of

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

and agricultural practices being utilized by the community, seen through evidence of

stone tool Stone tools have been used throughout human history but are most closely associated with prehistoric cultures and in particular those of the Stone Age. Stone tools may be made of either ground stone or knapped stone, the latter fashioned by a ...

s like

adze An adze () or adz is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing or carving wood in ha ...

s. The presence of adzes and axes suggest woodworking and plot-clearing took place at these sites. Within each circular

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

, there is evidence of

rice cultivation The history of rice cultivation is an interdisciplinary subject that studies archaeological and documentary evidence to explain how rice was first domesticated and cultivated by humans, the spread of cultivation to different regions of the planet ...

as well as other artifacts like glass, showing a developed rice-based

subsistence A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing and shelter) rather than to the market. Definition "Subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself and family at a minimum level. Basic subsiste ...

culture. The environmental impact of the local population appears to be little to none, likely due to their relatively small numbers.

Lithics

A variety of lithic artifacts have been discovered at these sites. This includes but is not limited to adzes, axes, grinding stones, and

debitage In archaeology, debitage is all the material produced during the process of lithic reduction – the production of stone tools and weapons by knapping stone. This Assemblage (archaeology), assemblage may include the different kinds of lithic fla ...

. Evidence from artifact assemblages suggest that lithic tools were being produced locally. In 1962, 1966, and 1970, Groslier excavated the inner platform of a site, identifying artifacts including lithics. When excavating an earthwork near Loc-Ninh, Ngyuen Trung Do and Ngyuen Long found lithics within the inner wall and platform.

Ceramics

Ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

s have also be found at Memotien Circular Earthworks. Previous ceramic materials excavated by Groslier are said to number around 20,000. Ceramics were likely being locally produced, as evidenced by artifact assemblages and the availability of materials to do so. Organic materials such as grain and rice husks were also utilized in ceramics, as the temper used in some pottery contain these remains.

References

{{Reflist Earthworks (engineering)