Angkor Wat belongs to the Common Era — dated here to c. 1150 CE at Siem Reap, Cambodia. Dates mark a scholarly centre of gravity (dedication, completion, or iconic phase), not a single foundation day.
The largest religious monument on Earth — a Hindu-then-Buddhist temple-mountain aligned to the sun and surrounded by a vast moat.
How it amazes the brain
Sandstone galleries carved with kilometres of bas-relief. Hydraulic city planning made the temple the tip of an urban iceberg.
Why it counts as a wonder
It never needed a contest ballot to scramble the brain: scale, craft, or sheer improbability is enough.
Jungle reclaimed the hinterland; the silhouette still stops cameras and engineers alike.
On dating
CE means years after the traditional birth of Christ. A monument listed as c. 1150 CE may have been founded earlier, rebuilt later, or become famous only in one phase. Engineering wonders (dams, tunnels, orbiting labs) are dated to opening or assembly.
This is story 9 of 100 in The Trend Ledger’s illustrated desk on world wonders raised after the birth of Christ — the companions to our BCE series.