Jacques Gaucher

Jacques Gaucher (1949, Nantes) is an architect-urbanist who heads the program of urban archaeology at Angkor Thom started in 1994.

Part of archaeological missions at Ras-Ibn-Hani, Syria (1980−1982), Anuradhapura, Sri-Lanka (1984−1986), and field research missions in Tamil Nadu, India (1985−1989), Chandernagor, India (1986−1988−1989), Ho Chi Minh Ville, Vietnam (1989−1990), Panauti, Nepal (1991−1992), Phanom-Wan, Thaïlande (1992), Luang-Prabang, Laos (1994) and China (1995), Jacques Gaucher was a member of EFEO from 1990 to 1993.

He leads the ModAThom project, the program of modelization of Angkor Thom as a city. Recently, his team has discovered a trunk of parinari anamensis, the Thlok tree in Khmer, horizontally buried five meters deep. This tree may have been a symbolical part of the foundation of the Royal Palace: the Royal Chronicles report that the Thlok tree can inspire a palace, since in the founding myth of Cambodia Preah Thong, an Indian prince in exile, and Neang Neak, daughter of the King of Nagas, celebrated their lasting love at the foot of a Thlok tree.

(Photo Cambodge Mag)