Funan

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Funan (Old Khmer Bnam, Modern Khmer Phnom (i.e., "mountain"), Vietnamese Phù Nam) was a pre-Angkor Indianized kingdom located around the Mekong delta. It is believed to have been established in the first century C.E. by a Mon-Khmer people, although extensive human settlement in the region may have gone back as far as the 4th century B.C.E. Though regarded by Chinese envoys as a single unified empire, Funan may have been a collection of city-states that sometimes warred with one another and at other times constituted a political unity. At its height, Funan and all its principalities covered much of mainland Southeast Asia, including within its scope the territory of modern day Cambodia and Southern Vietnam, as well as parts of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, and extending into the Malay Peninsula. Little is known about Funan, except that it was a powerful trading state, as evidenced by the discovery of Roman, Chinese, and Indian goods during archaeological excavations at the ancient port of Oc Eo in southern Vietnam. The capital, initially located at Vyadhapura ("City of the Hunter") near the modern Cambodian town of Phumi Banam in the Prey Veng Province, may have been moved to Oc Eo at a later time.

Origin

The Funanese were likely Mon-Khmer, related to the Mon of Burma and the ancestors of modern Cambodians. They were likely the only close relatives of the Ancient Khmers and hybridized into a single ethnicity when Chenla absorbed Funan in the 5th century C.E. Some have argued that the Funanese were of Malay origin, but evidence is so far inconclusive.

The third century Chinese envoys K'ang T'ai and Chu Ying reported a story according to which the state of Funan had been established in the first century C.E. by an Indian Brahmin named Kaundinya. According to the story, Kaundinya had been given instruction in a dream to take a magic bow from a temple and to embark on a journey. He did so and went to Cambodia, where a local queen launched an attack on the Brahmin's boat. With the aid of the divine bow, Kaundinya repelled the attack and persuaded the defeated queen to marry him. Their lineage became the royal dynasty of Funan.

It is debatable who founded Funan. However, it is very unlikely that the empire was founded by Indian traders because they would likely not have had the knowledge needed to start an empire. It is thought Funan existed before Indianization but gained political power and territories through trade and cultural exchange with India.

History

The Funanese Empire reached its greatest extent under the rule of Fan Shih-man in the early third century C.E., extending as far south as Malaysia and as far west as Burma. The Funanese established a strong system of mercantilism and commercial monopolies that would become a pattern for empires in the region. Fan Shih-man expanded the fleet and improved the Funanese bureaucracy, creating a quasi-feudal pattern that left local customs and identities largely intact, particularly in the empire's farther reaches.

Culture

Funanese culture was a mixture of native beliefs and Indian ideas. Many southeast Asian believed the cobra to be sacred and the introduction of the Indian naga was quickly absorbed by the locals. The kingdom is said to have been heavily influenced by Indian culture, and to have employed Indians for state administration purposes. Sanskrit was the language at the court, and the Funanese advocated Hindu and, after the fifth century, Buddhist religious doctrines. Records show that taxes were paid in silver, gold, pearls, and perfumed wood. K'ang T'ai reported that the Funanese practiced slavery and that justice was rendered through trial by ordeal, including such methods as carrying a red-hot iron chain and retrieving gold rings and eggs from boiling water.

K'ang T'ai's report was unflattering to Funanese civilization, though Chinese court records show that a group of Funanese musicians visited China in 263 C.E. The Chinese Emperor was so impressed that he ordered the establishment of an institute for Funanese music near Nanking. The Funanese were reported also to have extensive book collections and archives throughout their country, demonstrating a high level of scholarly achievement.

Economy

Funan was Southeast Asia's first great economy. The Kingdom was rich because of trade and agriculture. Citizens lived relaxed lifestyles. The Funanese population was concentrated mainly along the Mekong River: the area was a natural region for the development of an economy based on fishing and rice cultivation. The Funanese economy depended on rice surpluses produced by an extensive inland irrigation system. Maritime trade also played an extremely important role in the development of Funan. Archaeological remnants of what was the kingdom's main port, Oc Eo, were found to include Roman as well as Persian, Indian, and Greek artifacts.

Legacy

King Fan Shih-man, the greatest king of Funan, and his successors sent ambassadors to China and India. The kingdom likely accelerated the process of Indianization into Southeast Asia. Later kingdoms of Southeast Asia emulated the Funanese court.

During its golden age Funan controlled modern southern Vietnam, Cambodia, central Thailand, northern Malaysia, and southern Burma. Although Funan collapsed under the pressure of neighboring Chenla, its capital Vyadhapura remained the largest and most important urban center in the region until Angkor Thom.

The Funan kingdom had an efficient navy and rose to prosperity by regulating the sea trade between China and India. Funan collapsed in the sixth century and was absorbed by the Chenla kingdom who are undeniably Khmers.

Relations

The French historian George Coedès once hypothesized a relation between the rulers of Funan and the Sailendra dynasty of Indonesia. Coedès believed that the title of "mountain lord" used by the kings of Sailendra may also have been used by the kings of Funan, since the name "Funan" is related to the Khmer "phnom," which means "mountain. Other scholars have rejected this hypothesis, pointing to the lack of evidence in early Cambodian epigraphy for the use of any such titles.

Little is known about Funan's political history apart from its relations with China. A brief conflict is recorded to have happened in the 270's when Funan and its neighbor Champa joined forces to attack the Chinese province of Tongking, located in what is now modern Northern Vietnam. In 357, Funan became a vassal of China, and would continue as such until its disintegration in the sixth century. Chenla, a vassal of Funan eventually absorbed Funan entirely.

Funan rulers

Notes

References

M. Vickery (2003–2004). "Funan reviewed: Deconstructing the Ancients." Bulletin de l'École Française d' Extrême Orient: 101–143.
George Coedès, The Indianized States of Southeast Asia (translated from the French by Susan Brown Cowing). Honolulu: East West Center Press, 1968.

External links

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kh0014)