Cambodia has a rich and fascinating history. The first humans in
Cambodia were Stone Age hunters and gatherers. However farming
was introduced into Cambodia about 2,300 BC. The first Cambodian
farmers used stone tools but from about 1,500 BC the Cambodians
used tools and weapons made from bronze. By about 500 BC they
had learned to use iron. The first civilisation in the area
arose about 150 AD in the Mekong River delta in South Vietnam.
This civilisation was known to the Chinese who called it Fu-nan.
While Fu-nan was trading with the Chinese Cambodian society grew
more sophisticated. Settlements grew larger. So did kingdoms. By
the beginning of the 7th century AD the Cambodians were a
civilised people. At first Cambodia was divided into rival
states but at the beginning of the 9th century a king named
Jayavarman II created a strong, united state. He founded a
dynasty, which lasted until about 1000 AD.   Like all early
civilisations the Khmer Empire was an overwhelmingly
agricultural society, Although there w