100 – 1431
Early states and Angkor
- Khmer
- Mon
- Cham
- Indian traders and Brahmins
The Khmer built a rice state with reservoirs and canals; Sanskrit was the language of inscriptions, Old Khmer that of administration.
Sudeste asiáticoCapital: Nom Pen
Camboya
Camboya se sitúa en las tierras bajas en torno al Mekong y al lago Tonlé Sap, que cada estación de lluvias multiplica su tamaño. Del siglo IX al XV, Angkor fue el centro del Imperio jemer, que dominó gran parte del Sudeste Asiático continental. Tras el dominio colonial francés, la guerra y las matanzas de los Jemeres Rojos, el país vuelve a ser un reino desde 1993.
- Idiomas
- Khmer (official), Cham, Vietnamese and Chinese languages, Languages of the highland peoples in the north-east
- Religiones y cosmovisiones
- Theravada Buddhism (state religion), Islam (Cham), Spirit and ancestor veneration, Christian minorities
Cronología histórica
100 – 550
Funan
On the Mekong delta a trading state arises that adopts Indian gods, script and forms of government.
802 – 1431
Foundation of the Khmer Empire
Jayavarman II has himself consecrated as universal monarch on Mount Kulen; the capital comes to lie near Angkor.
1113 – 1150
Construction of Angkor Wat
Under Suryavarman II the temple complex dedicated to Vishnu rises, later a Buddhist sanctuary.
1431
Decline of Angkor
After attacks by Thai Ayutthaya the court moves south, towards present-day Phnom Penh.
1863 – 1953
French protectorate
The king accepts French protection; Cambodia becomes part of French Indochina.
1953
Independence
King Norodom Sihanouk achieves independence by diplomatic means.
1975 – 1979
Khmer Rouge rule
Pol Pot's regime empties the cities and forces the population into farm labour; an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people die.
1993
Restoration of the monarchy
After the Paris Accords and elections supervised by the United Nations the country receives a new constitution.
Contexto histórico
Angkor's power rested on water. Huge reservoirs (baray) and canals distributed the rainwater and made several rice harvests possible; airborne laser surveys have shown that an extensive urban landscape lay around the temples, home to hundreds of thousands of people.
After Angkor the country became squeezed between its stronger neighbours Siam and Vietnam. The twentieth century brought the Vietnam War across the border, heavy bombing and the rule of the Khmer Rouge, which deliberately murdered scholars, monks and city dwellers.
Pueblos y patrimonio cultural a través del tiempo
1431
After Angkor to the present
- Khmer
- Cham
- Vietnamese
- Chinese
- Highland peoples (Khmer Loeu)
About nine in ten inhabitants are Khmer. The Muslim Cham and the Chinese and Vietnamese communities were severely persecuted under the Khmer Rouge.
Religión, cosmovisión y filosofía
The kings of Angkor venerated Shiva and Vishnu and had themselves linked with the gods as 'god-king'; around 1200 Jayavarman VII made Mahayana Buddhism the court religion. From the thirteenth century the more austere Theravada Buddhism took over.
Almost every village has a monastery that is also a school and meeting place, and many boys spend some time as monks. People also venerate the neak ta, guardian spirits of a place. The Khmer Rouge banned all religion; afterwards the monastic order was rebuilt.
Movimientos artísticos
🎨 Angkorian architecture and sculptureninth–thirteenth century
Temple mountains such as Angkor Wat and the Bayon, with hundreds of metres of reliefs and towers bearing gigantic faces.
🎨 Classical Khmer dancefrom the Angkor period
The gestures of the court dancers match the apsaras on temple walls; after 1979 the tradition was restored by surviving teachers.
🎨 New Khmer Architecture and the golden age of pop music1953–1970
The architect Vann Molyvann combined modernism with Khmer forms; singers such as Sinn Sisamouth blended rock with traditional melodies.
Tradiciones y costumbres
Bon Om ToukFiestaNovember
The Water Festival celebrates with boat races the moment the flow of the Tonlé Sap changes direction.
Chaul Chnam ThmeyFiestaApril
The Khmer New Year lasts three days, with temple visits, sand mounds and the washing of Buddha images.
Royal balletMúsica y danza
Court dance with slow, precise hand gestures that mirrors the figures on the reliefs of Angkor; recognised by UNESCO.
Sbek ThomNarración oral
Shadow theatre with large leather panels depicting episodes from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana.
Gastronomía e historia culinaria
Rice and freshwater fish from the Tonlé Sap form the basis, seasoned with prahok (fermented fish paste), the herb paste kroeung, coconut and palm sugar. The cuisine is milder than that of neighbouring countries.
Historia gastronómica
The annual flooding of the Tonlé Sap yields one of the richest freshwater fisheries in the world. After the rainy season the catch is quickly salted, dried or fermented into prahok, so that there is protein all year round.
Indian traders brought spices and the idea of the curry, the Chinese noodles, the wok and soy sauce, and the French bread and coffee. The famine under the Khmer Rouge and the loss of a generation of cooks meant that many recipes later had to be recovered from the memory of the elderly.
- Rice farming and fishing around the Tonlé Sap
- Indian spices and curries
- Chinese noodles and stir-frying
- French baguette and coffee
- Kampot pepper
Amok treyPlato principal
Fish in coconut milk and kroeung, steamed in a cup made of banana leaf.
Origen: Often counted as part of the court cuisine of the Khmer Empire.
Nom banh chokPlato principal
Fresh rice noodles with a green fish curry and raw herbs, eaten for breakfast.
Origen: Rural dish; carried round in baskets by street vendors.
Bai sach chroukComida callejera
Grilled pork marinated in coconut milk, served on broken rice.
Origen: Urban breakfast, twentieth century.
PrahokGuarnición
Salted and fermented paste of river fish, used as a seasoning or as a dip.
Origen: Preservation technique for the catch after the rainy season.
Maravillas y patrimonio
- Angkor Watc. 1113 – 1150
Figuras históricas
Aún no hay figuras asociadas.
Acontecimientos
Aún no hay acontecimientos asociados.
Todos los acontecimientos →Conflictos y fósiles
Fuentes: Cambodia — Encyclopaedia Britannica · UNESCO World Heritage: Angkor