Customer Reviews

Angkor and the Khmer Civilization (Ancient Peoples and Places Series)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The great Khmer Empire, best known for its astonishing temples at Angkor, has long fascinated visitors, arm-chair tourists, and scholars alike. In his new book, "Angkor and the Khmer Civilization," archaeologist Michael Coe has written what I believe is, simply, the best current (2003) presentation of the history and culture of this wonderful (literally: full of wonders) ancient civilization. Reading Coe's book is like having a delightful one-on-one conversation with a first-rate thinker, scholar, and teacher. Coe's writing is superbly well-organized, logical, fascinating, concise, and comprehensive. The book is enhanced by numerous high-quality photo illustrations and maps, fully referenced bibliography and notes, and a better-than-average topical index.

Most importantly, this book is obviously a labor of love. Coe, a well-known Mayanist, returns here to his first love, the archaeology of southeast Asia; although political circumstances (e.g.: the Vietnam War, the Pol Pot regime) prevented him from digging in the field, Coe has mastered the literature and walked the sites; his book illuminates the full chronological sweep of Khmer history and culture, from its prehistoric beginnings through the post-Classic period, as never before. It is intellectually exciting, a pleasure to read, and sure to delight anyone from the casual tourist to the experienced professional. Put it together with Freeman and Jacques' "Ancient Angkor," and you have the perfect companions for your next trip to Angkor.

The most thoroughly researched text that I found regarding the temples and historic context of the "Classic" Khmer period. Not the best guide once you get to the site -- that would be Laur's illustrated guide. If you miss the boat on ordering both of these texts prior to your trip, you can get them both in the bookstore in Seim Reap. Some of the street vendors at the temples peddle illegal copies of the Coe book. Info as of 10/05.

Coe reaches surprisingly far in his pre-historical research. His findings are highly informative, and he conducted research beginning with the earliest traces of civilization in Cambodia. While at first this may seem to hold less relevance than a discussion of more modern times, he successfully seams different eras in Khmer civilization together, so that one understands Khmer history as a smoothly flowing story. In his descriptions of Khmer culture and artifacts, it is clear that Coe is steeped in anthropological and archeological knowledge, and he succeeds in his goal of providing such information clearly.
His style of writing is very clear and refreshing. It allows the reader to easily take in the vast information he presents. At just under two-hundred-fifty pages, Coe provides an abundance of information clearly and concisely. His writing is not dry or verbose, words that are all too often used to describe historical texts. Angkor presents all the information that an historical scholar could hope for, without presenting it in a lifeless manner.

The title "Angkor and the Khmer civilization" is misleading in that sense this book treats the Khmer civilization from the prehistory to the 21st century in mainland South East Asia. In this specific context this is an interesting book. In the context of the Khmer civilization restricted to Angkor I would recommend Charles' Higham "The civilization of Angkor ".The Civilization of AngkorCambodian Architecture: Eighth to Thirteenth Centuries (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik)The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia: From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor (Cambridge World Archaeology)The Khmers (The Peoples of South East Asia and the Pacific)A History of Cambodia

Coe does a great job of creating the scaffolding for an understanding of the miraculous art of Angkor. He describes, era by era, the evolution of the brilliant sculpture and wall carvings that pulse with life in Angkor. For this reader, ignorant of everything Khmer before visiting Angkor, this work has gone a long way to fill in the gaps in my understanding.

This is good read and the author does a great job of explaining the history of this area and the people, the pictures are great along with the quality of the publishing. I gave it four stars as it inspired me to go to angkor and see this magnificent place.

The author did an amazing amount of research to write this reference! It feels more like a textbook than my other references. And the book seems to be more about other than Angkor. I found a few nuggets to add to my data about Cambodia but very little about Angkor.

Since I was child I have been interested in history and therefore over now 56 years have been reading much history. But it's the first time I have read a book only about Cambodia, and Angkor Wat, and I must say that this is a really good book.

Beside, when buying the book, I was looking after a book with much information about Angkor Wat, because I'm thinking about this year visiting Angkor Wat were I've never been before. But maybe for the time now, for persons coming from Thailand, there will be problems visiting Cambodia, because Thailand now over some months, military has attacked Cambodia, among other because Thailand want to bee a joint owner of a Wat laying just on the border. This Wat, for which Camdodia in 1962, in FN, got the separate property, because it 1.000 years ago was build by the Khmers, and not by the Thais.

Before choosing which book to buy about Angkor Wat, I used much time for searching and looking in Amazons books about this subject, and also including the history concerning Cambodia and the Khmers. And for me the book is doing it extremely well on these 240 sides. That is, we get the history, but most concerning the years 802 - 1327, when Cambodia was a powerful kingdom and when Angkor and all the other architecture were build. And we get information about the culture, religions, Wats, canals, main road, and so on. And besides many cards showing the positions for these works. And also in the writing stating the measures, as for example, connected to the card, mentioning that the biggest main rod, connected to Angkor Wat, was 250 km long, 15 - 25 meter wide, and positioned 6 - 10 meter over the earth. And telling that Angkor are covering 1.000 square km!

And in the book many of the 130 illustrations there are shows from the enormous many mentioned relief some showing the daily work, soldiers and so on.

Concerning the history of Cambodia since 1327, when the kings of the Khmer no longer also, beside were the rulers over Thailand and Vietnam, for me there here among other are mentioned two interesting details. As the first, the king at AD 1643, as `wife of the left' took a Muslim girl as wife and then converted to Islam. But his principal wife then converted to Catholicism, and there started revolts and invasions from Thailand and Vietnam and the king's assassination. What if Cambodia then had turned in to being a Muslin country? And as the second case, in 1863 France was contacted for coming and to help Cambodia. Cambodia had then for 300 years been a week country ruled by Thailand and Vietnam, and the country maybe would have ended up being separated between Thailand and Vietnam. So maybe today Cambodia would not have existed if the French newer had come to rule? Two thing interesting to think about.

I was at the SF Asian Museum seeing what turned out to be a not-great exhibit this weekend, and wandered into the book store thinking I'd pick something up in advance of a trip to Cambodia in the fall. Shock of shocks, I found that Coe, whom I've read avidly for his great coverage of the Maya, knows the Khmer as well.

This book is as readable yet comprehensive as is his great work on the Maya, which I've absorbed over the past five years during a Maya obsession. I had a spare three hours this afternoon, and comfortably plowed through five detailed chapters. How frequently can you say that about an academic's work (other than the work in geology of my father-in-law, Dave Alt, and I guess Witold Rybczynski . . . .).

Now I guess I need to pull out the Chocolate book (another surprise--written by Coe's wife and edited by him after her death) and delve back into that---

Michael Coe's "Angkor And The Khmer Civilization" is an excellent work that impressed me in so many ways because it informed me about so many things!

The author gives an excellent account of the Khmer people from their beginnings to the modern era. He traces their culture and civilization from the earliest hunter-gatherers to the arrival from China of rice farming to the building of great cities and temple complexes. He covers the ethnic/cultural/linguistic makeup of the Khmer and their neighbors, their art, culture, religions and their society.

Mr. Coe gives the reader a sense of Khmer at its height with a great empire ruled by mighty kings, an empire economically and militarily powerful in southeast asia. He covers their rivalry with surrounding peoples such as the Cham, Thai, Vietnamese as well as the influence of Indic thought, philosophy and religion and trade links with China.

The book is very well written. Quite often, books of this nature are almost like textbooks - not very entertaining. I found Mr. Coe's work to be well written for the general reader. The author includes many high quality color and black & white photos as well as drawings, maps, diagrams of temples, cities, etc. I found these indispensible for understanding the greater geopolitical circumstances as well as appreciating the beauty of Khmer sculptures and reliefs decorating the Angkor structures.

Unlike many authors (who seem to expect a certain amount of familiarity with the subject on the part of the reader), Mr. Coe's work has "sidebars" to introduce important topics to the reader such as thumbnail sketches of Hinduism/Buddhism that helped myself, as a general reader, to understand the cultural outlook of the Khmer better.

Michael Coe has created an excellent and accessible account of Angkor and the Khmer people who created it. To me, this is a five-star book and I do recommend it to those interested in the subject.