Many of Cambodia's modern conflicts have deep roots in the country's history. The greatest period in Cambodian history is known as the Angkorian period, after the huge complex of temples in northwestern Cambodia known as Angkor Wat, which literally means "city-temple." Most scholars place the Angkorian period as having lasted from about 802 c. E. to about 1431. During much of this time Cambodia, or Kambuja-Desa, as it is called in
The old inscriptions, was the most powerful kingdom in Southeast Asia.
By the end of the Angkorian era the kingdom of Kambuja-Desa was coming under increased pressure from the Siamese (also known as the Thais) on the west and the Vietnamese on the east. Gradually, the capital and center of the kingdom shifted from Angkor Wat to Phnom Penh, which remains the capital today. Trade had become more important for the Cambodians and Phnom Penh was located where the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap come together, making it easier to control trade from Laos and China.
The Angkorian period has continued to be a symbol for Cambodian nationalists, and many of the extreme policies of the modern Khmer Rouge government appear to have been undertaken in order to restore the glory of this empire.
From the 1400's on, the Cambodians lost territory to both the Siamese (Thais) and the Vietnamese. By the 1800's, Cambodia
One of the most famous landmarks in the world, Angkor Wat is a large complex of temples in northwestern Cambodia. (PhotoDisc)
Had fallen almost entirely under the control of Vietnam, and Vietnam sealed it off from the outside influences that were beginning to affect other Southeast Asian countries. Vietnamese domination and cultural conflicts between the Indian-influenced Cambodians and the Chinese-influenced Vietnamese created a lasting perception of Vietnam as Cambodia's greatest traditional enemy.
World History
