This is the fascinating moment an ancient Khmer sculpture was unearthed in a field in Cambodia.

Footage shows locals digging up the bronze statue during an excavation in Kompong Phet province on August 14.

Andy Brouwer, an independent researcher on Khmer art and history, said the discovery was a bronze two-armed Lokeshvara uncovered in the Santuk district of the province.

The scholar, from England, said: 'The half man-size bronze looks like a late ninth-century figure, with matted hair and short pleated sampot with side pockets. One hand is missing, and it looks like the head has been detached from the body.

'I understand the figure has been handed into the authorities and is being assessed for authenticity. The prevalence of modern fakes requires expert review of new discoveries such as this figure.'

Kompong Thom is Cambodia's second-largest province and is known to contain several Angkorian sites.

Bronze sculptures can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with the many on display in leading museums.

However, exporting them from Cambodia is illegal, and many were looted during the free-for-all years when Western explorers first discovered the mysterious ancient empire, followed by decades of conflict.

In Buddhism, the Lokeshvara or Avalokitesvara, also known as the 'Lord of the World', is a religious figure associated with compassion and mercy.