We don’t know a lot about the Khmers. Khmer history is carved intricately into the stone walls of Khmer temples. But for the rest of us, the best description of day-to-day Khmer life comes from a visitor to Angkor named Zhou Daguan.
The Writing’s on the Wall(s)
Temple carvings tell about Khmer history and everyday life. They depict scenes of people working, cooking, shopping and trading in markets.
Some carvings show land battles with charging elephants and hand-to-hand combat. Others show Khmers decked out in fine regalia, living the good life. One might get the idea that Khmers spent a lot of time fighting and partying.
If you’re with a guide, he can bring the scenes to life. For Cambodians, these carvings are their historical records.
The First Travel Blog?
For everyone else, we have the benefit of Zhou Daguan’s detailed notes. He was a 13th-century Chinese traveler who spent a year in Angkor. Too bad he lived 700 years before the internet. He could have a cool travel blog.
Khmers, even more dramatically than most civilizations today, fell into two groups: the Haves and the Have-Nots. Zhou Daguan had access to royals as well as to common folk, and he wrote about each class.
He described regular Khmer folks as hard-working, industrious, and poor. City dwellers in Angkor lived in simple thatched-roof structures in densely-populated neighborhoods.
The market was the hub of every neighborhood. Market stalls consisted of mats on the ground, occupied by proprietors who paid rent for the space. At the market, women were in charge. Compared to Western societies of the time, Khmer women had substantial power and influence.
The Khmer civilization was a slave culture. A well-to-do Khmer family might have 100 slaves. Losers in battle and people from co-opted lands, among others, provided an ample supply of slaves. Even a poor Khmer family might own a few slaves. That’s just how it was.
It’s Good to be the King
According to Zhou Daguan, royals – especially the king – went to extremes to show their wealth and power. Early Khmers regarded their kings as divine rulers, chosen by a Higher Power.
Surprisingly, citizens of Angkor had relatively easy access to the king. He met with the public twice a day, listening to what they had to say. But when it was time to put on a show, the king really put on a show. Zhou Daguan provides a great description. Paraphrasing…
When the king goes out, troops are at the head of the escort; then come flags, banners and music. Next come 300-500 women with flowers in their hair, wearing flowered garments. They’re followed by more women bearing royal paraphernalia of gold and silver.
Next: Palace women carrying lances and shields, then the king’s private guards, followed by horse-drawn or goat-drawn golden carts. Then come princes and ministers, shaded by red umbrellas, followed by the king’s wives and concubines riding in carriages, on horseback, or on elephants.
Finally the king himself comes into view, standing on an elephant, its tusks encased in gold, holding his sacred sword in his hand.
I guess it was good to be the king.
To be continued…
Featured pic: Angkor Wat’s South Gate. Credit: istockphoto/Boris Gelman
