Dr Damian Evans

On September 12, 2023, the international community lost an invaluable archaeologist, Damian Evans, whose trailblazing research transformed the landscape of Southeast Asian archaeology.  As tributes to his life and legacy continue to pour in from all over the world, we at Far Horizons are also mourning the loss of a treasured colleague and friend.  Damian’s unique brand of charisma and his extensive work to discover new Khmer cities (using Lidar laser technology) made him an ideal scholar to lead our trips to Cambodia and Laos.  For over a decade, our travelers returned from these tours having been ‘wowed’ by Damian’s expertise and his endless enthusiasm.  He will be sorely missed by all who had the distinct privilege of knowing him. As one former Far Horizons traveler so aptly stated, “Damian was excellent in every way!”

Damian Evans received his PhD from the University of Sydney. He has worked in Cambodia since the 1990s, and from 2007-2015 was the Founding Director of the University of Sydney’s Overseas Research Centre at Siem Reap-Angkor. He recently joined the École française d’Extrême-Orient, the oldest and most prestigious international team working at Angkor, to oversee a multi-million dollar project to uncover and map early cities using airborne laser scanning. His ground breaking discoveries using space technology have been reported extensively in international news reports, journals and newspapers including the Associated Press, the Daily Telegraph in England, the Los Angeles Times (front page), Science, International Herald Tribune, CNN, Archaeology Magazine (Top 10 Discoveries of 2013), Foreign Policy Magazine (Top 100 Leading Global Thinkers 2013), National Geographic News, and BBC News and BBC Radio.

Dr. Evans was featured in both the National Geographic Channel’s and the History Channel’s documentaries on Angkor. He has been the invited speaker at conferences throughout the world including Mexico, Taiwan, Vietnam, the United States, China, Egypt and India, and has been the recipient of a multitude of awards and grants including one from National Geographic.

‘Damian made the trip come alive. He was excellent in every way.’ – Anne TenBensel

“Damian Evans was easy to talk with: he knew his topic and clearly has a love and enthusiasm for what he does. Because he lives in the area he gives more of an insight and empathy into the culture and people and, in turn, their history.” – Lynne Johannes