The result of 10 years of research, this is an authoritative description of the rise and eventual fall of the Khmer empire. Colour illustrations, not only of the better known monuments but of many of the more obscure sites, complement the text. The Khmers were first noticed by the Chinese when they began to occupy neighbouring maritime territories, Champa and Funan; their own recorded history commences with inscriptions from the 5th century onward. They soon extended their power northwards and westwards, eventually occupying almost the whole area of present-day Thailand. At