Slaves and outsiders The exact number of slaves is unknown. Most were prisoners of war or their descendants, considered property by their owners, including temple slaves. Debt bondsmen temporarily forfeited freedom to repay debts, similar to hereditary household servants of rulers and officials. Smaller ethnic groups lived in the hills and were seen as barbarians by lowlanders but were left alone if they posed no threat. These tribes practised nomadic slash-and-burn agriculture, trading forest products for lowland goods. They were sometimes enslaved or recruited as guides, soldiers and suppliers of slaves. The lives and work of children We have almost no direct evidence about how children lived and worked in the Khmer Empire. The little evidence that we have suggests that only the sons of the most privileged classes and of scholars received any kind of formal education. Among other sections of Khmer society — peasants, artisans, fishermen and traders — children would have worked alongside their parents, learning their skills, as soon as they were old enough to be useful. 8.7 SkillBuilder activity CONTINUITY AND CHANGE We have almost no evidence of what ordinary people thought about their place in Khmer society. Ingroups, discuss the following questions: 1. Would the common people have seen things from the same perspectives as their rulers? 2. Do you think the religious beliefs of the people would have encouraged them to rebel or to accept things as theywere?
8.7
Exercise
Learning pathways LEVEL1 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
LEVEL2
LEVEL3
6, 7, 8
9, 10
REMEMBER AND UNDERSTAND 1. Identify the services peasants provided for the ruling classes. Select all that apply. A. They produced food. B. They entertained the rulers with musical performances.
C. They maintained irrigation systems. D. The worked on building projects. E. They educated the Khmer ruler’s children. F. They filled the ruler’s army. 2. Determine whether the following statement is True or False. The minority ethnic groups who lived in the mountains had an active role in mainstream society. 3. Determine whether the following statements are True or False. a. The influence of religious ideas decreased the dominance of men over Khmer women. b. The ruling class in South-East Asian Buddhist societies claimed to have magical powers. c. The smaller ethnic groups who lived in the hills were regarded as equal to the lowlanders by the ruling class. 4. State how Khmer kings wanted to be seen by their people and explain why they would want to be seen that way. 5. Explain why a Khmer ruler usually had control only at the centre of his kingdom.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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