LESSON 8.7 What was life like in the Khmer Empire?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to explain how Khmer society operated and how it differed for men and women and for different social classes.
Tune in Zhou Daguan, the Chinese ambassador who stayed at Angkor between 1296 and 1297, has provided the only written account of life in the Khmer Empire apart from inscriptions on temple walls, which provide very little information about ordinary people.
SOURCE1 From Zhou Daguan’s descriptions of aspects of Khmer life
The dwellings of the princes and principal officials all have a completely different layout and dimension to those of the people ... The official rank of each person determines the size of the houses. From the king down, the men and women all wear their hair wound up in a knot, and go naked to the waist, wrapped only in a cloth. When they are out and about they wind a larger piece of cloth over the small one. The soldiers, too, go naked and barefoot. In their right hand they carry a lance, and in their left hand a shield. They have nothing that could be called bows and arrows, trebuchets, body armour, helmets, or the like. I have heard reports that when the Siamese attacked, all the ordinary people were ordered into battle, often with no good strategy or preparation. The local people who know how to trade are all women.
1. What does this source tell you about equality and inequality? 2. What does it tell you about clothing, hairstyles and work?
8.7.1 Kings, nobles and officials During the Middle Ages, European kings claimed divine selection, similar to Chinese emperors with their ‘mandate of heaven’. In the Khmer Empire, rulers were seen as semi-divine, blending human and godly attributes. They asserted connections to Hindu gods like Shiva or Vishnu and introduced the concept of the devaraja or ‘god-king’, symbolising power and fertility through linga worship. Khmer rulers often gained power through practical means, including violent power struggles within ruling families. Many ascended the throne by overthrowing rivals, reflecting a mix of divine claims and practical politics. DID YOU KNOW? In Vietnam and China, officials were chosen through examinations, and there were very detailed written laws describing the powers of officials at each level. There was no such system in the Khmer Empire or the Buddhist kingdoms in Thailand and Burma. Kings depended on officials to administer their kingdoms. The larger the Khmer Empire grew, the more power such officials held. It was only at the centre of the kingdom that the ruler had complete power. There, the officials were usually friends or relatives of the ruler. They were drawn from the land-owning nobles and many of them inherited their positions. In the distant provinces, governors had almost complete power, as long as they did not threaten the ruler’s authority.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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