74 since the Angkor archaeological site was first introduced to the world (in 1863), and until now steady research and investigation pertaining to the history of the Angkor dynasty had progressed. However, from a meticulous and comparative study of the historical inscriptional data and Chinese historical data, we are gradually getting a grasp of the politics, economy, society, religion and other such factors of that period. In the era of the Angkor dynasty, palm leaf manuscripts were used (instead of paper) for writing, but due to the humid tropical climate all those records have now vanished, and we have nothing to rely on other than Chinese historical data and stone plate inscriptions. Among them though, in over 1200 inscriptions, historical facts providing us with glimpses of the daily life, religion, politics, and society of the past are recorded, but the contents are very fragmentary, and besides, the facts are not recorded in detail. There are several records of donations made to temples, but from that meager data, gaining an overall picture of the historical facts of that time is impossible. Until now, all we experienced were a series of trials and errors. After having read those inscriptions how do we build up an argument for the historical facts? Let me provide you with an example of this. (1) From the age of engraving of the inscription’s seal, the place where it was found, and the name of the dedicator, we enquire into the families of the high-level persons of the clan. (2) We carefully inspect the official positions and job titles, the duties the persons were in charge of, and so on. (3) From the list of donations made to the temple (that is movable properties, immovable properties, and so on) we analyze the temple assets, the upkeep operations, the economic activities of that time, and so on. (4) Depending on the God or Buddha the donation was made for, we study the state of affairs related to social and religious activities like development and infrastructure, in the area where the inscription was excavated. In this manner, by deciphering and scrutinizing the inscriptions, the politics, society, economy, religion and other such issues of the time are gradually getting
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