Khmer Empire-Angkor Wat (India)By: Maxwell Davis, Shifra Pfister & Steven Lewis

Location! Location! Location! Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia

Included Cambodia, parts of Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand

Its great legacy is Angkor Wat

Khmer’s Role In Society

Religion Buddhism Hinduism

Trading Connecting Rome, India, and China Ivory, spices, elephants, feathers

Religion and Law Court system was led by religious and secular nobles

Communist Rule Of Khmer Empire Ancient Cambodia

divided into rival states Khmer Empire

Suryavarman I controlled Cambodia Cambodia 1500-1800

Vietnamese also invaded Cambodia Communist made headway 1975

Under the rule of Pol Pot- “the tyrant”

Increase in Population The large abundance of land, ideal for crop

growing and animal herding/grazing Increased trade due to highly forested areas;

which were rich in trade items such as; Ivory! Feathers! Spices! Elephants! Exotic types of Woods!

Decline in Population After several hundred years of growth and

prosperity, the system came to a halt in 1431.

The population suffered the hit of the system failure, along with the factors of:

Climate Change Economic Issues Political Factors

All these issues overwhelmed the society as a whole, and became the main downfall

ResourcesBefore

Stone GoldWell managed waterFarming (rice)

AfterDroughts 13th/14th centuryHeavy down pour ErosionSoil overused

SocialBefore

Indian influenceJayavarman II united the statesReligion (Buddhism)

AfterStates separated

EconomyBefore

TaxesTrading Walled settlementRoad System

AfterNatural Disasters

ArchitectureBefore

TemplesSandstone buildingsWater system: canals reservoirs moats

AfterDestroyed infrastructureClimate change, not so easily changing system

Khmer vs. US Climate change destroyed them US more adaptable Both mixed economy, trading

Work Cited "Angkor Civilization Timeline." About.com Archaeology.

Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://archaeology.about.com/od/medieval/qt/Angkor-Civilization-Timeline.htm>.

"A Brief History of Cambodia." A Brief History of Cambodia. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://www.localhistories.org/cambodia.html>.

"Cambodia." About.com World News. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://worldnews.about.com/od/cambodia/p/Cambodia.htm>.

"Climate Change Doomed Khmer Empire." Climate Change Doomed Khmer Empire. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://www.deccanherald.com/content/61170/climate-change-doomed-khmer-empire.html>.

"Khmer Empire Water Management System." About.com Archaeology. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://archaeology.about.com/od/transportation/qt/Khmer-Empire-Water-Management-System.htm>.

"Khmer History." - WolfWikis. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/Khmer_History>.