PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA—According to a report in The Phnom Penh Post, two pieces of a six-foot-tall statue of a lion were unearthed by mine-clearing experts preparing the site of a new groundwater reservoir along the Tonle Sap River. Hab Touch of Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said the large size of the statue suggests it may have been part of a bridge. Further study of the sculpture at the National Museum could offer clues to when it was carved. “We cannot make assumptions of the lion that we found during mine clearance for the reservoir plan because we don’t have any connections regarding the statue,” explained museum director Chhay Visoth. “Normally, we can know the date of an artifact by identifying other things around it.” To read about a bodhisattva statue discovered in Angkor, go to "Around the World: Cambodia."
