2007/10/01 by Malcolm Potts, Maura Graff, Judy Taing · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Medical History and Innovations
paper · pdf · doi:10.1783/147118907782101904
openalex publication_date 2007/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
©FFPRHC J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2007: 33(4) Background Abortion induced by physical trauma has a long history. This article describes bas-relief sculptures in Angkor Wat, Cambodia dating from the 9th to the 12th centuries, and compares them to contemporary observations of massage abortion. The Cambodian carvings, along with two similar representations in Indonesia, are the earliest known illustrations of an abortion in progress. The bas-reliefs prove that abortion techniques were well understood at the time, although their cultural interpretation is uncertain.