Armies, Allies and Enemies of The Khmer Empire Volume 1: Southeast Asian Warfare 802-1430AD

Using extensive and previously unpublished photographic reference material drawn from the great Khmer temple complexes of Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Banteay Chhmar, Armies, Allies and Enemies of the Khmer Empire offers the first detailed visual and organisational study of the military forces of the Khmer Empire (802–1430 CE).

Presented across two comprehensive volumes, the series examines the armies of the Khmer “God-Kings” through a systematic analysis of hundreds of eleventh- and twelfth-century carved military images preserved on the temple walls of Angkor in modern-day Cambodia.

Volume 1 focuses on the structure, composition, equipment, and development of the Khmer armed forces themselves. Using detailed photographic evidence, the book reconstructs Khmer military organisation at every level, including command structures, royal guards, infantry, archers, naval forces, war elephants, cavalry, and logistical support elements. It examines weapons, armour, shields, helmets, military dress, banners, transport, and ceremonial equipment, while also analysing tactics, battlefield formations, siege warfare, recruitment, and the wider military culture of the empire.

The work further explores the relationship between military power and the Khmer state, examining how Angkor’s sophisticated hydraulic infrastructure and immense agricultural wealth sustained one of the largest urban concentrations in the medieval world. At its height, the Khmer Empire dominated much of mainland Southeast Asia, projecting power across a territory comparable in scale to that of the contemporary Byzantine Empire.

Volume 2 expands the study to include the allies, tributaries, rivals, and enemies encountered by Khmer armies across Southeast Asia, providing an unparalleled visual and military history of one of the medieval world’s greatest but least understood empires.

Richly illustrated throughout, Armies, Allies and Enemies of the Khmer Empire combines archaeological evidence, military analysis, and visual reconstruction to provide the most comprehensive study yet published of Khmer warfare and military society.