The Khmer Empire, also called the Angkor Civilization, was a massive and important culture covering much of south east Asia between 800 and 1300 AD. During its classic period, Khmer was a cosmopolitan blend of religions in the region, led by a stratified and complicated court system supported by extensive trade throughout the region.
The Khmer documented their existence in Sanskrit stele and other writings; and they were written about by Chinese explorers in the 3rd century AD. Evidence for the Khmer influence reaches into trade networks including the Tang and Song dynasties of China. The Khmer had an extensive water control system which is a marvel of engineering, allowing the Khmer to change the microclimate of its centers.
All of that came crashing to a halt in the mid-14th century when political strife exascerbated by an environmental collapse led to fall of the emperors and their control over southeast Asia.
In its heyday, the Khmer empire covered all of Cambodia and southeastern Thailand and northern Vietnam. The guide to the Khmer summarizes the recent investigations into Khmer.
The roots of the Khmer begin in the early farming period of about 5,000 years ago, with Neolithic sites such as Ban Non Wat and Ban Lum Khao; but the classic period begins about 800 AD, under the leadership of the legendary Jayavarman II.
The capital of the Khmer empire was Angkor Wat, among the best known archaeological sites in the world. It is an enormous temple complex, located in what is today Cambodia, and built between 1130 and 1150 AD by Suryavarman II.
NASAOne remarkable characteristic of Khmer was its extensive water management system, which covered an area of 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles), and connected the natural lake Tonle Sap to large man-made reservoirs (called baray in Khmer) through a series of canals, permanently altering the local hydrology.
Like other empires, the Khmer was able to keep the vast outlying lands under control because of an extensive road system. Khmer was united by six main arteries with a combined length of some 1,000 kilometers, or about 620 miles.
Charles Higham (c) 2006An important early hint to the complexity of the Khmer Empire is the Neolithic site of Ban Non Wat. A report on the site written by excavator Charles Higham.
Charles Higham (C)2006A photo essay on Charles Higham's excavations at Ban Non Wat, the important Neolithic site which reflects the growth of Angkor even as long as 5,000 years ago.
Funan culture is what archaeologists believe is the precursor society to the Khmer Empire, and the name of a society which was visited by Kang Dai and Zhu Ying, two emissaries of the Wu Empire in 250 AD. Kang and Zhu brought back detailed information about the roots of Angkor, useful to the emperor then, and to us today.
Oc Eo is a Funan culture site, and a precursor to the Angkor civilization by about 150 years. It is best known to us because the site was discovered by Chinese explorers sent by the Wu emperor; and archaeological evidence has revealed an extensive canal system.
Ban Lum Khao is an important archaeological site to our understanding of the Khmer empire, because it was occupied from the Iron Age, ca. 2500 BC until AD 400, during the growth and expansion of the Angkor civilization. Most important is the Bronze age cemetery, which is primarily egalitarian, in strong contrast to the of Ban Non Wat.
Despite its massive size, monumental architecture, fabulous control of local climate and extensive trade partnerships, the Khmer Empire collapsed quite abruptly. But... the collapse wasn't mysterious, and archaeologists have discovered many factors leading to its downfall.
