IRANGKOR project: production, trade and consumption of iron in the Khmer Empire, Cambodia (9th to 15th CE)

Investigation into material production and distribution is an important way of understanding the political and socioeconomic organization of premodern states. Iron, with its specific technological characteristics and diverse cultural utility, can be perceived as one of the most dynamic materials for facilitating social and cultural transformation. Reconstructing how iron was managed in the Khmer Empire is therefore a critical perspective for documenting the interrelationship between its multiple sociotechnical systems and greater historic trajectory. This paper discusses the combined results of technological, chronological and sourcing analyses of iron to generate a holistic view of Angkor’s iron economy. This investigation was paired with extensive analyses of the vast iron production landscape of central Cambodia (INDAP project) and evidence from northeast Thailand. The focus will be on the issue of provenance to determine the origin of the production sites and how iron was incorporated into the broader exchange system. Combining multiple types of analyses enables us to identify changes in the production and consumption strategies of the Khmer state and how they translated into broader impacts felt across the empire.