CAMBODIA
History of Cambodia Our knowledge
of Cambodia’s very early history is limited. From the
discoveries that have been made, we know that the earliest
inhabitants of Cambodia came to Indochina in several great
waves of migration over a period of at least a thousand
years.
One
wave of people came northward from the island chains that
are now called Malaysia and Indonesia. They were
brown-skinned people whose way of life involved fishing and
growing rice. Another great wave came southward from Tibet
and China. These yellow-skinned people possessed
metal-working skills and the tradition of domesticating
animals. By about 350 B.C., these two waves of migrating
people had met in Indonesia and blended to form a cluster of
new people and cultures. The Khmer, who lived in present-day
northern Cambodia, were one of these people.
These
early Khmer lived in small settlements along waterways. They
fished, farmed, and raised cattle and pigs. They also
hunted, using spears and bows and arrows. In the first
century A.D., the first great Khmer civilization arose in
Cambodia. It was called Funan. Although the Funanese left no
written records and no great buildings, we know of them
through the writings of Chinese travelers who visited the
country. About 245 A.D. a Chinese ambassador named K’ang
T’si traveled to Funan. Upon returning to China, he
described Funan as a land so hot that the people wore no
clothing, and so rich that taxes were paid in gold, jewels,
and precious perfumes.
Although
the people of Funan were Khmers, much of the Funanese
culture was borrowed from India. Traders and wandering
scholars from India had reached Southeast Asia as early as
100 B.C. Along with trading goods, the Indian travelers
brought Sanskrit, the language of their country. In Funan,
Sanskrit began to be used for religious writings and court
ceremonies (the Khmer language continued to be used for
everyday business). The Indians also brought the two great
religions of their country: Hinduism and Buddhism. Some
Khmers were attached with Buddhism, but Hinduism won so many
followers that it became the state religion of Funan. Hindu
gods and rituals became part of Khmer culture.
Funan
prospered as a center of trade between India and China. Its
merchants received goods from as far away as Persia (now
called Iran) and even the Roman Empire. Its craftsmen
created magnificent jewelry and religious statues of gold
and bronze. Funan had enormous military strength, too. By
the mid-6th century A.D., it dominated two
neighboring states, Chenla in present-day Thailand and
Champa in present-day southern Vietnam. The people of Chenla
were also Khmers, but the Chams were Malaysians.
Late
in the sixth century, Chenla grew strong and threw off
Funan’s overlordship. Then, in 598, a king named
Bhavavarman claimed rulership of both Funan and Chenla. From
that time on, Funan ceased to exist as a separate state. It
was absorbed into Chenla. The quarrels among members of
ruling family led to the break-up of the state in the 7th
century. It was divided into Land Chenla, a farming culture
located north of the Tonle Sap, and Water Chenla, a trading
culture along the southern Mekong River. The rulers of Java,
an island kingdom in what is now Indonesia, acquired some
control over Chenla and took members of the Khmer royal
family to live in Java.
In
the late 8th century, Khmer princes returned from
Java to establish a new kingdom in Cambodia. This new state
dominated Indochina for many centuries. It was called
Kambuja (from which the name “Cambodia†| |