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Cambodia's History

Archaologists claim that what today is known as Cambodia has been peopled since at least 4,000BC. The kingdom of Funan, Cambodia's forerunner, was a trading stop for Indians on their way to China. That influence can be seen today in the country's traditional literature, dance, Hindu and Buddhist religions and architecture. Today's Cambodia occupies only a small corner of the Khymer Empire that from the 9th to the14th centuries extended over a large part of what we now know as Southeast Asia. The Khymers called their land Kampuchea or Kambuja, a name that was westernized as Cambodia.

The God-Kings
The first Cambodian king was Jayavarman who in the 9th century declared himself "god-king" identifying himself with Siva, king of the Hindu gods. He established his capital near Angkor. Jayavarman and his successors built up a great empire, which reached its highest point under Suryavarman II - builder of Angkor Wat - and Jayavaman VII, a Buddhist who built the Bayon temple. One of the great accomplishments of the god-kings was the construction of an elaborate irrigation system that allowed the Khymers to produce four harvests a year.

There followed a decline and loss of territory to the Thais. In 1432, Angkor was abandoned and the capital moved to Phnom Penh. Then in the 17th century the Vietnamese began encroaching into Cambodia's territory in the Mekong delta, while the Thais annexed the northwest. In 1846 the country became a French protectorate, which was occupied by the Japanese and then, in 1953, became once more an independent country, ruled by a modern-day god-king prince Norodom Sihanouk.

Modern Times
Although it managed to stay neutral during the first years of the Indochinese War, Cambodia was eventually drawn into the conflict and its aftermath, suffering devastation and tragic loss of life at the hands of the Khymer Rouge. The Khymer Rouge was led by the infamous Pol Pot who allied himself with Prince Sihanouk to gain power but whom Sihanouk later referred to as "a more fortunate Hitler" because he got away with the slaughter of as many as 2 million of his countrymen. Today, a large faction of the Khymer Rouge has laid down its arms and with the help numerous international agencies the country is recovering its soul and economy.