Loose change? Evaluating the roles of Chinese coins in the Angkorian Khmer Empire

Abstract

Interactions with China and India played an important part in the development of the Angkorian Khmer Empire. Recent discovery of several Chinese coins at the regional centre of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay provides an opportunity to see how these objects were used in Angkor’s moneyless economy. The broader distribution and function of Chinese coins in Southeast Asia is evaluated before examining why so few examples have been discovered in Cambodia. It is argued that coins served a plurality of functions ranging from deposit, cash, ingot, cure, and curio in the Angkorian world.