Subject: nobleman as military commander

Culture: Khmer / Cambodian

Setting: Khmer empire late 11-13thc

Evolution:

Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)

* Jacq-Hergoualc'h 2007 p

Scythe

* Jacq-Hergoualc'h 2007 p24-25

"[T]he phkā'k, a kind of axe (which in this translation will be termed the Khmer axe) which, like the knives and cutlasses, remains the same in form from generation to generation to the present. Again, G. Groslier notes this, saying that the Khmers have faithfully retained this weapon which 'is used in all domestic tasks in the forest and when hunting, with a long or short handle'. Boisselier however considers that the form of the phkā'k is only found, with its bent-back handle by the blade, in the north-west of the Tonle Sap and especially near Siem Reap.

"At Angkor Wat this weapon can be found in the hands of high-ranking warriors on elephants or horseback. This is not a weapon for the infantry. The design is carefully observed: the bent handle, ending in a kind of bulb, has a splayed blade, cut obliquely at the end. The way the handle and blade are attached is unclear.

"At the Bayon and Banteay Chmar this is also the arm of the warriors of a certain rank, but some foot soldiers carry it too. It is always summarily represented and on the whole is found less often than at Angkor Wat."

Armor

* Nicolle 1999 p330

"[C]arved reliefs on various superb Khmer religious monuments ... illustrate war elephants and weapons such as the bow, spear and war-axe or phkåk, but very little armour. That which does appear seems to be of scale construction, including both helmets and limited forms of body protection. However, the carvings look somewhat impractical, suggesting that the sculptors were not fully familiar with what they were illustrating."

* Jacq-Hergoualc'h 2007 p18-19

"At Angkor Wat, breastplates were mostly worn by soldiers of higher rank riding elephants or horses rather than by the foot soldiers. The breastplates have a special wrap-around form which encloses the chest, leaving the arms and the neck free.

"At the Bayon and Banteay Chmar, breastplates are very rarely seen (at the Bayon it would be difficult to find as many as a dozen). From the few examples worn by the foot soldiers or warriors on elephants, they consist of two quadrangular plates, one at the front and one at the back, kept in position by straps and epaulettes, while other types seem to continue the forms found at Angkor Wat with some modifications. Let us examine them now in detail.

Costume

* Jacq-Hergoualc'h 2007 p70

Dagger