The Long and Winding Road that Leads to Angkor

Research in the upper Mun Valley of northeast Thailand reveals that the genesis of Angkor's civilization can be traced to two distinct surges in social complexity, both coinciding with the availability of exotic goods through exchange. The first surge occurred during the initial Bronze Age (11th century BC), while the second, more significant one took place in the late Iron Age, leading directly to the formation of powerful chiefdoms that laid the foundation for early civilizations in Southeast Asia, including Angkor. This study documents the entire prehistoric cultural sequence from late hunter-gatherers to the end of the Iron Age, challenging earlier narratives of Indianization and providing a new framework for understanding the region's complex history.

Higham, C. (2012). The Long and Winding Road that Leads to Angkor. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 22(2), 265–289. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774312000261