'Once there was a king': The Historiography of the Khmer Empire.

The article focuses on the historiography of the Khmer Empire (9th to 15th centuries CE), emphasizing that its history is primarily reconstructed from monuments, art, and over 1,300 temple inscriptions rather than traditional chronicles. These inscriptions, often bilingual in Sanskrit and Old Khmer, provide insights into religious, economic, and political aspects but leave many uncertainties, such as lineage and governance structures. French colonial-era scholarship laid foundational descriptive work, while more recent efforts by Cambodian and international scholars have expanded understanding, including new inscription discoveries and archaeological research. The article also highlights the challenges posed by the loss of historical records during the Democratic Kampuchea regime and the shift from Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism to Theravada Buddhism, which further complicates the historical narrative.