New Perspectives on Early Cambodia from the Lower Mekong Archaeological Project

In this brief presentation of the aims and prospects of the Lower Mekong Archaeological Project (LOMAP), the author summarizes the key elements for a better understanding of the pre-Angkorean polities and cultures across what is now Southern Cambodia.

Angkor Borei and its connections with the Oc-Eo area (now in modern Vietnam), Chinese sources related to Funan, the earliest Khmer inscriptions found in that area, the status of Angkor Borei as a possible ​‘capital city’ of Funan, the centrality of this area in the legends surrounding the foundation of Kambuja as a country, here are some of the topics considered in the study.

The author, who was the co-founder of the LOMAP, remarks: ​‘We now know that Angkor Borei was a walled settlement that, at its peak, enclosed an area of at least 300 hectares and contained more than a dozen brick monuments. It was first founded in the 5^th or 4^th century B.C., and apparently grew as a community through time. Precisely how large the population became and where all the people lived is not yet clear, although future work will concentrate on these topics.’