Long-lost paintings have been discovered on the walls of Cambodias ancient Angkor Wat temple, thanks to the keen observations of an Australian National University researcher. The ancient paintings date back almost 500 years and depict1 deities2, animals, boats and the temple itself, giving historians a new understanding of life in a relatively3 unknown period of Cambodias history.Rock art researcher Noel Hidalgo Tan discovered the hidden images while working as a volunteer at an archaeological excavation4 in Angkor Wat during a university break in 2010.I was walking through the temple on a lunch break and I saw some pigments5 on the wall. I took some pictures, but didnt think they would be anything special, he said.It was only when Tan enhanced the images on his computer that the paintings emerged, revealing the long-lost artworks.It was an amazing moment, Tan said. I didnt expect the images would be so elaborate（详尽的） and detailed6.Angkor Wat is one of the worlds most famous monuments and a national symbol of Cambodia. Built in the 12th century, Angkor Wat was in the centre of the city of Angkor, which was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries.The world-heritage site attracts around two million tourists a year.Despite the large number of visitors, the paintings had not been noticed. They were largely faded to the naked eye, and many were in dark areas of the temple.Tan, from the ANU Department of Archaeology7 and Natural History, returned to the temple in 2012 to carry out a detailed investigation8 in collaboration9 with Cambodian researchers Im Sokrithy, Heng Than and Khieu Chan.Remnants of paintings were originally thought to be graffiti left by early travellers to the temple. But to Tans surprise, many of the paintings portrayed10 elaborate details of daily life, with little re百度竞价推广blance to other documented graffiti（涂鸦） images.The team suggests that the paintings seem to come from the 16th century reign11 of King Ang Chan, who commissioned a restoration of the temple to Theravada Buddhist12 use from a Vishnavaite Hindu temple.
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1 depict vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述 参考例句： I dont care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。 Childrens books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。
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