Angkor and the Khmer Civilization

by Coe, Michael D.

• ISBN13: 9780500021170
• ISBN10: 0500021171
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc

Summary

The ancient city of Angkor has fascinated Westerners since its rediscovery in the mid-nineteenth century. A great deal is now known about the brilliant Khmer civilization that flourished among the monsoon forests and rice paddies of mainland Southeast Asia, thanks to the pioneering work of French scholars and the application of modern archaeological techniques such as remote sensing from the space shuttle. The classic-period Khmer kings ruled over their part-Hindu and part-Buddhist empire from a.d. 802 for more than five centuries. This period saw the construction of many architectural masterpieces, including the huge capital city of Angkor, with the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious structure. Numerous other provincial centers, bound together by an impressive imperial road system, were scattered across the Cambodian Plain, northeast Thailand, southern Laos, and the Delta of southern Vietnam. Khmer civilization by no means disappeared with the gradual abandonment of Angkor that began in the fourteenth century, and the book's final chapter describes the conversion of the Khmer to a different kind of Buddhism, the move of the capital downriver to the Phnom Penh area, and the reorientation of the Khmer state to maritime trade. Angkor and the Khmer Civilization presents a concise but complete picture of Khmer cultural history from the Stone Age until the establishment of the French Protectorate in 1863, and is lavishly illustrated with maps, plans, drawings, and photographs. Drawing on the latest archaeological research, Michael Coe brings to life Angkor's extraordinary society and culture. 130 illustrations, 22 in color.

Author Biography

Michael D. Coe is currently Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Yale University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences

Table of Contents

Preface	7	(3)
Chronological Table	10	(1)
1 Introduction	11	(10)
The age of 'discovery'	12	(2)
The Mekong Exploration Commission	14	(2)
The age of EFEO	16	(1)
The ancient Khmer Empire	17	(1)
The rebirth of Khmer archaeology	18	(1)
Periods	19	(2)
2 The Setting	21	(12)
The Lower Mekong Basin	21	(2)
The regions	23	(4)
Flora and fauna	27	(2)
Rice: the Khmer staff of life	29	(4)
3 Peoples and Languages	33	(10)
Cambodian genesis	33	(1)
The peopling of Southeast Asia	33	(1)
Languages: the big picture	34	(4)
The Khmer language	38	(1)
Writing	39	(1)
Who are the Khmer?	40	(3)
4 The Khmer Before History	43	(14)
Hunters and gatherers	43	(2)
The Early Farming period	45	(1)
The diffusion of rice and village life	46	(2)
Iron Age chiefdoms (c. 500 BC to c. AD 200-500)	48	(1)
The circular earthworks puzzle	49	(1)
The 'red soils' earthworks	50	(4)
Rock paintings	54	(1)
The Khmer before the great transformation	55	(2)
5 Winds of Change: The Early Kingdoms Period	57	(40)
'Funan' and 'Zhenla'	57	(4)
The Delta chiefdoms	61	(1)
Hands across the sea	62	(1)
Indianization	63	(1)
Oc Eo and early maritime contacts	64	(6)
From chiefdoms tu kingdoms fib Angkor Borei	70	(3)
Sambor Prei Kuk	73	(2)
Bantcay Prei Nokor	75	(1)
Wat Phu	76	(2)
The bronzes of Prikhun Chai	78
Special section: Hinduism	76	(9)
Special section: Buddhism	85	(12)
6 The Classic Angkor Period: From Kingdom to Empire	97	(34)
The founding of the Khmer Empire	97	(3)
Special section: Dynastic succession in Cambodia	100	(1)
Hariharalaya: a proto-Angkor	101	(1)
The 'Glory-bearing City': the founding of Angkor	102	(5)
Interlude at Koh Ker	107	(2)
Disruption and rebirth	109	(1)
Special section: Banteay Srei	110	(2)
'Protected by the Sun': the triumph of Suryavarman	112	(2)
The Baphuon and the building of Phimai	114	(2)
Suryavarman II, builder of Angkor Wat	116	(1)
Special section: Angkor Wat	117	(5)
Disaster	122	(1)
Rebirth of the empire: Jayavarman VII	122	(6)
Reaction and iconoclasm	128	(2)
On the eve	130	(1)
7 The Life and Culture of Classic Angkor	131	(64)
The sources	131	(2)
The divisions of Classic Khmer society	133	(2)
Administration of the city and empire	135	(9)
Law and order in ancient Angkor	144	(1)
The economy	145	(6)
Communications and transportation	151	(4)
Architecture and the building trade	155	(3)
Arts and crafts	158	(15)
Daily life in ancient Angkor	173	(6)
Entertainment and the performing arts	179	(4)
Classic Khmer ritual life	183	(2)
Warfare and the military	185	(3)
Thought and culture in Classic Angkor	188	(3)
Angkor: city and state	191	(4)
8 The Post-Classic Period: Decline and Transformation	195	(30)
The collapse of Classic Angkor	196	(1)
The sources	197	(4)
Theravaria Buddhism and its meaning for Cambodia	201	(3)
Angkor as a Theravaria Buddhist complex	204	(1)
Geopolitics	205	(3)
The course of Post-Classic history	208	(5)
Post-Classic society and administration	213	(6)
Trade and commerce	219	(1)
Post-Classic warfare	219	(1)
The art of the Post-Classic	220	(2)
Mental life in Post-Classic Cambodia	222	(2)
Epilogue	224	(1)
Rulers of the Khmer	225	(1)
Visiting Angkor	226	(1)
Notes to the Text	226	(4)
Further Reading	230	(4)
Sources of Illustrations	234	(1)
Index	235