Siem Reap Residents Donate Ancient Artifacts to Museum
The Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum received 77 artifacts from several Siem Reap residents. Photo: Apsara National Authority
- By Meng Seavmey
- July 4, 2023 5:06 PM
PHNOM PENH – The Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum received 77 artifacts from several Siem Reap residents and is planning an exhibition to present them to the public after determining their history.
According to a July 3 Facebook post from the Apsara National Authority, several Siem Reap province citizens gave the antiquities to the museum for further conservation and protection, although some of them had bought the artifacts.
Nork Borun, a business owner in Siem Reap province who served as an intermediary between the residents and the museum, said he bought some of these artifacts from the provincial residents while some were voluntarily given to him.
The antiquities, which include pottery, bracelets, knives, axes, and plates, come from either Siem Reap or Banteay Meanchey provinces.
While some of them are in perfect condition, others came into pieces.
Borun said he didn’t know the age of those objects, but thought they were antiquities that should be conserved and kept safely, leading him to give them to the museum. He thought this was the safest place for them to be conserved in good condition.
Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum’s Acting Director Phuy Savoeut said most of the received artifacts were pottery, probably from prehistoric and Angkorian eras, and metal objects.
“Most of the donated artifacts were 24 bracelets and 18 axes, but experts have not yet been able to determine the exact age of the artifacts,” the post reads, citing Savoeut’s speech.
Nevertheless, the experts registered the 77 artifacts, to measure and weigh them based on the museum’s principles. The artifacts, then, will be stored under a constant temperature before being cleaned and reconnected with the decaying metal pieces to their original shape.
According to the Apsara National Authority, the museum plans to exhibit these articles after the experts have done appropriate research, so that the public can learn more about ancient ways of life in the region.
